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R11: Team 7 Deadly Readers (7)
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Beth
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Sep 11, 2019 06:16PM

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Week 2: Spot 15

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
How it Fits: Gaslight Mystery #1
Pages: 278
Finished: 9/11/19
Rating: 5 stars
Review: This was an impulse purchase last year and it's just been sitting on my shelf since then. So I was glad to see that it fit this week's roll. I was excited to finally get around to it!
And I thoroughly enjoyed it! I don't want to say that it had a slow start, but the first part of the book was definitely slower than the second part. I flew through the second half of the book, devouring it in about a day!
There's a decent possibility that I will pick up the second in the series at some point this round if the dice roll in that favor! I'd definitely recommend this book :)
*Earns the 2 in 1 bonus point: it is #1 in a series and it's on Logan's read shelf as a 5-star read.

I can't wait to see what happens! I really liked the characters and can't wait to see them develop over the series.

It really was!! But I hadn’t planned on reading so much when I sat down yesterday morning. I only meant to read 2 chapters... but I just couldn’t stop. Until I had to 😭

Bonus points earned: 2 (500+ pages & read for series # and alternate)
Reviews posted: 7
Spot: 15
Beth: Review
Denise: Review
Diane: Review
Logan: Review
Runnell: Review
Suzanne: Review
Tara: Review

Week 2: Spot 15

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
How it Fits: Gaslight Mystery #1
Pages: 278
Finis..."
I'm so glad you liked it!! I feel like I should pick this up now


I do remember you saying that about the Assassin series! I'm hoping the are cooperative as well :D
On my spreadsheet I do have a list of the series' everyone is reading so that'll help with the series related bonuses

Week 2: Spot 15
Book: Praying for Rain

How It Fits: First in a series
(Changed it up from what I had originally said I'd read)
Pages: 224
Finished: 9/12
Rating: 3/5
Review:
So this was short and super fast. I love anything apocalyptic, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. I also am a fan of the fact that this took place in Georgia as I'm born and raised here, but now that I think about it . . . Walking Dead takes place in Georgia, this took place in Georgia . . . Maybe I should't be too happy about that.
While in the moment I loved the fact that it was so short, but I also see this as it's biggest downfall. Too much happened in too short of a time. I honestly didn't care about Rain or Wes, even though obviously you're supposed to. I just wasn't given enough time to care about them.
Also, Wes was nothing but a big jerk. The way he referred to Rain as "his bitch", and property, and even a tool? That got on my nerves A LOT. I don't mind an Alpha, but I just wanted to knee Wes in the balls and tell him to shut up.
With me not liking Wes hardly at all, and it being too short for me to even really care about Rain or anything else really, that's why I decided to give it 3/5 stars.
Regardless of how I felt with this one, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy as I'm intrigued to know what happens after that ending.
Week 3
Spot: 21

Book: The Enemy by Tom Wood
Qualification: Victor the Assassin #2
Pages: 556
Finished: 13 Sep 2019
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Victor may not be particularly thrilled to be - at least temporarily - beholden to the CIA, but he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. The deal with his new employer is (seemingly) straightforward: Three contracts. Three strangers in three countries, then Victor gets to walk away. Sounds simple - and turns out to be anything but. Rushed into each contract with limited information, Victor becomes entangled in a larger plot noone bothered to let him in on. The consequence: unanticipated complications, more and more information about him becoming known to entirely too many people, powerful enemies gunning for him, and some betrayal thrown in for good measure.
Ratcheting up the tension chapter by chapter, this actionpacked second part in the series was even better than the first. Already very much looking forward to my next encounter with Victor - unlike, one would expect, anyone who actually gets to cross paths with him on page.
Spot: 21

Book: The Enemy by Tom Wood
Qualification: Victor the Assassin #2
Pages: 556
Finished: 13 Sep 2019
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Victor may not be particularly thrilled to be - at least temporarily - beholden to the CIA, but he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. The deal with his new employer is (seemingly) straightforward: Three contracts. Three strangers in three countries, then Victor gets to walk away. Sounds simple - and turns out to be anything but. Rushed into each contract with limited information, Victor becomes entangled in a larger plot noone bothered to let him in on. The consequence: unanticipated complications, more and more information about him becoming known to entirely too many people, powerful enemies gunning for him, and some betrayal thrown in for good measure.
Ratcheting up the tension chapter by chapter, this actionpacked second part in the series was even better than the first. Already very much looking forward to my next encounter with Victor - unlike, one would expect, anyone who actually gets to cross paths with him on page.

Week 3: Spot 21

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
How it Fits: Veronica Speedwell #1
Pages: 339

Book:

by Krista Davis
How it fits: #2 in A Domestic Diva series
Pages: 320 (Kindle Version)

Bonus points earned:
Reviews posted: 7
Spot: 21
Beth: Review
Denise: Review
Diane: Review
Logan: Review
Runnell: Review
Suzanne: Review
Tara: Review

Spot: 21

Book: Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Qualification: Royals #2
Pages: 274
Finished: 9/14/19
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
I mean, who wouldn't want to fall in love with a princess? With a gay princess to make it even better. This book is absolutely adorable. I do feel like at times it might have been rushed but that could have been because I read it in one sitting today. I loved the main characters and thought the side characters were hilarious and well-fleshed out. The writing is fantastic in this book and definitely will be reading more from this author.

Spot 21

The Real Thing by Melissa Foster
how it fits: Sugar Lake #1
pgs: 288
finished: 9/14/19
rating: 3 stars
review: This was almost too sweet of a romance. Small town and I loved the heroine's family. She was a bit too insecure and the hero was way too good to be true (all of a sudden a big actor can't do a kissing scene because he's in love???). But all the miscommunication was solved early, which is nice and we got to know a lot of secondary characters who I assume will show up in future books.

Completion Post

Finished: 9/15/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Not quite as good as the first. Katie’s habit of daydreaming while conversing with others gets annoying really quickly. Practically every scene has a “Katie?” from the person talking to her, followed by Katie apologizing for her mind wandering. Very odd.
The mystery on this one wasn’t interesting enough to keep my attention and overall just lacked some of the spark from the first book. I do like getting to see more of her PI skills in action but the added characters jumbled the plot more than enhanced it. I might pick up the next one because I’m curious where this is going but thank goodness they are KU books.

Book:

by Krista Davis
How it fits: #2 in A Domestic Diva series
Pages: 320 (Kindle Version)
Date Read: 9/17/2019
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I've really enjoyed most of the books in this series - Sophie is just so competent, and I love all of the described food and decorations. But this book (which I somehow skipped the first run through) drove me kind of crazy. Sophie's friend Natasha, her sister Hannah, her boyfriend, and others are just all so mean to her. She needs to dump them all. My annoyance at them, and at Sophie's unwillingness to stick up for herself, kind of spoiled the book for me. It was a good mystery though.


Completion Post

Finished: 9/15/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Not quite as good as the first. Katie’s habit of daydreaming while conversing w..."
For some reason the constant daydreaming bugs me too. No one is that oblivious in real life

Happy birthday! I hope you have a great day :)
Beth wrote: "Hope everyone is having a good week so far! Mine has been busy but today is my birthday so I'm taking it easy"
Happy birthday from me as well! :) I wish you a wonderful day and excellent presents... like, say, a huge pile of books! :D
Happy birthday from me as well! :) I wish you a wonderful day and excellent presents... like, say, a huge pile of books! :D


Happy birthday from me as well! :) I wish you a wonderful day and excell..."
Didn’t get many as presents but my bf took me to a used bookstore and said “alright go wild” so $100 later... 😂😂
And got a B&N gift card as well so more books!
Beth wrote: "Didn’t get many as presents but my bf took me to a used bookstore and said “alright go wild” so $100 later... 😂😂 "
Now this is what I call proper boyfriend behaviour! :D
Now this is what I call proper boyfriend behaviour! :D

."
Sounds like he's a keeper!!! LOL!

Week 3: Spot 21

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
How it Fits: Veronica Speedwell #1
Pages: 339
Finished: 9/19/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I'm kind of torn on this book. On the one hand I enjoyed it, but on the other it was just "ok." I enjoyed Veronica's character, I found her quite amusing. However, I wasn't entirely sold on the overall storyline. And I could have done without all the talk about butterflies and elephants. And the entire time that they were with the traveling show - that whole bit could have been cut out for me. So while I found this book a decent enough read, I'm not entirely sure that I will feel compelled to continue on with this series.


Week 3: Spot 21
Book: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Author: Kerri Maniscalco
How It Fits: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1
Pages: 327
Finished: 9/19/19
Rating: 4/5
Review:
For some reason I never wanted to pick this book up when it first originally came out, but now that the finale book recently was released, I felt like finally doing so. I'm so glad I did! I was hooked from the very first page from the very first sentence.
Audrey Rose was doing everything that I wanted to do when I was in high school (I had dreamed of becoming a medical examiner, but sadly that didn't come to be) so I really enjoyed all of the dissections and all the science behind it at the time.
The characters were superb and I see why everyone loves Thomas so much because awwww.
I'm really looking forward to reading the next one!

Week 4: Spot 28

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
How it Fits: Sookie Stackhouse #8
Pages: 303
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