R11: Team Twice as Fast (2) ***Winning Team***

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Week 10: Roll 2
Spot: 86

Book: The Ninth Step by Mark Dawson
Qualification: John Milton #8
Pages: 387
Finished: 05 Nov 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Review:
Milton has returned to London, where he continues to attend AA meetings and try to find ways to work on the Ninth Step - making amends. When a fellow meeting attendee, a troubled soul by the name of Eddie Fabian, reaches out to him for help after being threatened by a powerful figure whose past misdeeds Eddie has been seeking to expose, Milton is at first reluctant to get involved. Then Eddie turns up dead in an ostensible suicide shortly after their conversation and Milton decides to find out what truly happened to him and finish what he started.

In sharp contrast to the decidedly mediocre Headhunters, this was actually one of the best books in the series thus far. If only more of them turned out like this.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

Week 10~Sunday Roll
Spot #86
by C.S. Johnson
Qualifications:Title E
Pages:332
Finished:11/5/19
Rating:5 Stars
Review:The epic conclusion to the Starlight Chronicles. I highly recommend this series and author if you're looking for something different and unique to read.

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

You certainly sound very busy, Maddie. Best of luck finding a job.

[Maddie]

Denise wrote: "We're sorry to lose you, but with everything you've got going on at the moment it's totally understandable. I fully intend to run this thing again next year, so I hope it'll fit better with your sc..."

I hope it will!

[Maddie]

Thank you guys :) Best of luck to you too. See you around I'm sure

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Oops. I never made a selection post. Sorry.

Week: 10 Roll: 2
Spot: 86

Poppy Done to Death
Qualifications: Aurora Teagarden #8
Pages: 245
Finished: 11/6/19
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: I feel that this is one of the better stories in the Aurora Teagarden series. There's a lot of character development and exploration into motives and reasoning. Although the reason the killer gave for offing Poppy was one of the stupidest I've read about.

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Lanelle wrote: "Oops. I never made a selection post. Sorry."

No big deal. All set for tomorrow's roll! :)

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

Week 11~Thursday Roll: Old Spot #86 Rolled 4
New Spot #90
Alternative #90~Author O

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

Week 11~Thursday Roll
Spot #90
by Abby Ayles
Qualifications:Standalone
Pages:631
Finished:11/7/19
Rating:4 Stars
Review:Lady Juliana Reffern yearns to be with her love Lieutenant Christopher Hardwicke. He just needs to prove he's worthy of her. Waiting is hard for both of them. Can he prove his worth?

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Week 11: Roll 1

Roll: 4
Current Spot: 90, Alternate: Author O

✔ Angie ~aka Reading Machine~: A Daring Captain for Her Loyal Heart: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance by Abby Ayles (Standalone) Review
✔ Denise: The Jungle by Mark Dawson (John Milton #9) Review
✔ Lanelle: Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer (Standalone) Review

*Bonus point earned - Denise: Starting and finishing a series
*Bonus point earned - Denise/Lanelle: No alternates used

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Spot: 90

Book: The Jungle by Mark Dawson
Qualification: John Milton #9
Pages: 302

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Spot 90 gives me the opportunity to nail down the starting and finishing a series bonus point for us, and we'll also be able to claim the no alternates bonus with the next roll, giving us all 6 possible bonus points. So if Angie's luck with the die holds and we roll 5 or 6 on Sunday, we'll be on a winning spot!

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Denise wrote: "Spot 90 gives me the opportunity to nail down the starting and finishing a series bonus point for us, and we'll also be able to claim the no alternates bonus with the next roll, giving us all 6 pos..."

That's good, because I'm still missing #1 of the series I've been working on. If we somehow land on 96. Cover Item - Building, I'll be able to catch that first book.

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Selection Post

Week: 11 Roll: 1
Spot: 90

Book: Aunt Bessie Invites
Qualification: Isle of Man #9
Pages: 284

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Lanelle wrote: "That's good, because I'm still missing #1 of the series I've been working on. If we somehow land on 96. Cover Item - Building, I'll be able to catch that first book."

If we land on 96, I should think we'll use our bonus points to get us to a winning spot! :D

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Week 11: Roll 1
Spot: 90

Book: The Jungle by Mark Dawson
Qualification: John Milton #9
Pages: 302
Finished: 07 Nov 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Review:
Milton is asked for help by a young refugee whose sister was taken by human traffickers and sold to a bunch of Albanian gangsters operating illegal brothels in London. Unable to find the missing girl there, Milton sets out for Libya in order to track down the smugglers who sold her by retracing her steps from the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean through the long journey across Europe and to the Calais refugee camp known as the Jungle.

Two good ones in a row? What is this strange magic? Best book in the series so far IMO - let's hope the trend continues.

*Bonus point earned - Starting and finishing a series (books #1-#9 read as part of this challenge)

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Denise wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "That's good, because I'm still missing #1 of the series I've been working on. If we somehow land on 96. Cover Item - Building, I'll be able to catch that first book."

If we land on..."

*sigh* You're right. I don't think I'll get to read that first book :(

Congratulations on getting the bonus point, by the way.

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

You can read it for whatever winning spot we eventually land on! :)

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

I've decided to read a different book for this roll. Sorry.

Selection Post
Week: 11 Roll: 1
Spot: 90

Book: Black Sheep
Qualification: standalone
Pages: 291

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Completion Post

Week: 11 Roll: 1
Spot: 90

Book: Black Sheep
Qualification: standalone
Pages: 291
Date finished: 11/9/19
Rating: ****
Review: The hero in this story has to be one of the most original heroes that I've read. He was unapologetic-ally unconcerned with social mores, which was HUGE back in the early 1800's. But he was still able to charm and carry the day when he was needed. I loved the ending!

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Oh, I haven't read Georgette Heyer in ages - this one definitely sounds like I'd enjoy it!

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

Old Spot #90 Rolled 6
New Spot #96 without Bonus Points
Alternative #96~ Cover Item: Building

OR

Old Spot #90 Rolled 6 Landed on Spot #96
New Spot #102 with 6 Bonus Points
Alternative #102~Cover Item: Book

I hope this post makes sense!

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

My pick for the win is

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

I assume we're going for the win instead of giving the others a chance to catch up? :D

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Week 11: Roll 2

Roll: 6
Bonus Points Used: 6
Current Spot: 102, Alternate: Cover Item: Book

✔ Angie ~aka Reading Machine~: Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness (All Souls Universe #1) Review
✔ Denise: The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni (Charles Jenkins #1) Review
✔ Lanelle: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie (Psychic Eye Mystery #1) Review

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ wrote: "My pick for the win is "

Damn, this reminds me that I've had sitting on my shelf for years and still haven't gotten around to reading it, despite the fact that I loved the first two books - and that I also still haven't gotten around to watching the TV adaptation!

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Spot: 102

Book: The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni
Qualification: Charles Jenkins #1
Pages: 437

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Selection Post

Week: 11 Roll: 2
Spot: 102

Book: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye
Qualification: Psychic Eye Mystery #1
Pages: 304

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Completion Post

Week: 11 Roll: 2
Spot: 102

Book: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye
Qualification: Psychic Eye Mystery #1
Pages: 304
Date finished: 11/10/19
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This story is a great beginning to a series. The characters are fleshed out well, and the plot is cohesive and tense. You can definitely feel that the romance will be the slow burn type. I love the main character's sister. She's a hoot!

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Week 11: Roll 2
Spot: 102

Book: The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni
Qualification: Charles Jenkins #1
Pages: 437
Finished: 11 Nov 2019
Rating: ★★

Review:
Decades ago, Charles Jenkins was a CIA officer playing cat and mouse games with his KGB counterparts in Mexico City. Now in his sixties, he's long left that part of his life behind - until his former Chief of Station turns up in his backyard and wants him to dust off his old skills to track down a Russian agent believed to be killing members of a longrunning clandestine US spy ring in Moscow. In desperate need of money, Jenkins agrees... but nothing is quite what it seems with this assignment.

I've enjoyed Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series, and I'm always in the market for a good spy thriller, but this ended up being a rather disappointing experience. What begins as a spy thriller morphs into a courtroom drama (which is not a genre I'm a huge fan of), essentially abandoning half the plot in the process. The premise stretches credulity and I got the feeling that the author didn't have all that much of a clue about the spy business... very little of that rang true.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

Week 11~Sunday Roll
Spot #102
by Deborah Harkness
Qualifications:All Souls Universe Book #1
Pages:448
Finished:11/11/19
Rating:4 Stars
Review:I loved the mix of past and present throughout the whole book. Getting peeks at history from another point of view was interesting and exciting all at the same time. I'm eager for the author to explore more from All Souls Universe.

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

And that's that - go us! :D

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Woot!

[SandyL]

Congratulations!!!

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~]

Yay!

[Shelley]

Congratulations!!

[Suzanne]

Congrats - that was very well done!

[Book Concierge]

Congrats! Funny that in both SS and SSS the winning team won on spot # 102!

[Lanelle, Production Chief]

Thanks for hosting SSS (and SS), Denise. I know it's a lot of work.

[Denise, Manufacturing Director]

Lanelle wrote: "Thanks for hosting SSS (and SS), Denise. I know it's a lot of work."

True, but I enjoy playing it so much that it's a lot more fun than stress. :D