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R11: Team Speedy Novelites (4)
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Mod
Week:9 Roll:1
Dice roll:6
Previous Spot:56
Current Spot: 62
Bonus Points Earned: 4
Bonus Points Used:0
What to read:
#2 in series
#6 in series
#62 in series
Alternate: Author M
Donna Sacrificed by Desni Dantone~~completed
Theo Triple Witch by Sarah Graves~~completed
SandyL Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis~~completed
Suzanne My First Five Husbands... And the Ones Who Got Away by Rue McClanahan~~completed
BONUS POINTS:
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
✸ Halloween Bonus: One point can be earned for reading a Horror/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy book for the roll on 10/27.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Halloween/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Completion Post - Week 9Spot 62
Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis
Qualification: Animal Magnetism #2
Read: 10/25/19
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I'm enjoying this series, although I've been reading it out of order. Del Connelly is the veterinarian in Sunshine. He gets along with everyone, but only lets a select few get close. Jade Bennett is the clinic receptionist, who has told Del for the past year and a half that she's only there temporarily. Both have kept their distance from the other, but now that Jade is really getting ready to leave, they both consider a fling. And they both realize they feel more for the other than they thought. But neither is ready to give up their secrets. I loved how Del was around Jade, and how their relationship developed. I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series.
Mod
Spot 62
Book:Sacrificed by Desni Dantone
Qualification: Ignited #2
Date:10/23/19
Rating: 4 star
Review:
I enjoyed this sequel to Ignited. The characters were as fun as I remembered. As for her love interests...
1. Micah- I just don't like him. He has way too many secrets and just saying someone is your soulmate doesn't make it true. He obviously has no true feelings for her other than maybe friendship.
2. Nathan - He annoys me with his attitude. He obviously has no clue what he wants. He seems to only be interested in her when someone else is moving in on her. Nobody else can have her but he doesn't want her either. Then he admits to loving her but it seems more selfish than real love.
3. Alec - Now this guy I like. He is fun and flirty but he is truly in love with her. So in love that he steps aside because he thinks that will make her happy. She did follow him. I feel that shows something is truly there on her side also.. even if she ignores it for what she thinks she wants.
I did find it sad that Callie is sent packing. I like her being there as buffer against all that testosterone. I can't imagine how the next book will be. Especially since they are past the prophecy. I am definitely curious as to where the series goes now.
Week 9, Roll 1
Spot: 62
Book: Triple Witch by Sarah Graves
Qualification: Home Repair Is Homicide #2
Finished: 10/26/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Jacobia moved to the little town of Eastport, Maine to get away from her ex-husband and the bad influences her son was flirting with in New York City, but now it seems Eastport isn't far enough away. Her ex-husband is in town and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, heroin is showing up in the teenage crowds, and dead bodies keep turning up too. As with the first novel of the series, the mystery itself is not too hard to crack, but the setting and characters make these fun reads.
Week:9 Roll:1Spot: 62
Book: My First Five Husbands... And the Ones Who Got Away by Rue McClanahan
Qualification: Alternate: Author M
Finished: 10/27/2019
Rating: ***
Review: This book was good but hard to slog through. She writes (or wrote?) exactly like she talks in Golden Girls. Which is good for TV but for a book it's hard to follow. I only knew of her as Blanche but she started as a ballot dancer and was a theatre actress all of NYC and beyond. She had a very tumultous love life but finally found the right man at 63.
Mod
Week:9 Roll:2
Dice roll:5
Previous Spot:62
Current Spot: 67
Bonus Points Earned: 4
Bonus Points Used:0
What to read:
#6 in series
#7 in series
#67 in series
Alternate: Historical
Donna The Gender Plan by Bella Forrest~~completed
Theo City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare~~completed
✸ Halloween Bonus: One point can be earned for reading a Horror/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy book for the roll on 10/27.
SandyL The Color of Love by Julianne MacLean~~completed
Suzanne City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare~~completed
BONUS POINTS: Reminder: this is the only week we can earn the Halloween Bonus
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
✸ Halloween Bonus: One point can be earned for reading a Horror/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy book for the roll on 10/27.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Halloween/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Week 9, Roll 2
Spot: 67
Book: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Qualification: The Mortal Instruments #6
Bonus: Urban Fantasy for Halloween
Finished: 10/30/19
Rating: 4 stars
Review: It's time for the final showdown with Sebastian, Clary's evil brother. Told through multiple POVs, this was a satisfying conclusion to the series. As always, the characters have just as much time to deal with their romances as they do to fight evil, but a few deaths keep things from becoming too predictable. It was also fun to see tie-ins with Clare's other Shadowhunter series.
Mod
Spot: 67
Book: The Gender Plan by Bella Forrest
Qualification: The Gender Game #6
Date:10/30/19
Rating:4 star
Review:
This book was certainly action filled. I loved seeing Solomon have a bigger part in this book. As dangerous as they thought he was, he was able to help them a lot. I am hoping they are able to help him. I am curious as to what happens next since Elena is still free. I will be reading the next book.
Week 9, Roll 2Spot 67
The Color of Love by Julianne MacLean
Qualification: The Color of Heaven #6
Date: 10/30/19
Rating: 4
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I really liked it! I loved the unexpected twists and turns, as well as the slightly mystical or spiritual aspect of it - fate? coincidence? I really felt for Carla, loving her husband but him loving his mountains more than his family. And Aaron really amazed me - loved him!!! Great story - this is the only book I've read in this series, but I'll definitely look to reading the others.
I probably won't be done with my book until tomorrow morning - sorry!!!
My book ended up going faster than I thought (and my TV show isn't on because of the World Series - can't wait for The Masked Singer to come back) so I got it done tonight.
Mod
Week 9, Roll 2Spot 67
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Qualification: The Mortal Instruments #6
Date: 10/31/19
Rating: 3
Review: Meh....I kind of lost interest about two books ago...
Mod
Mod
Week:10 Roll:1
Dice roll:4
Previous Spot:67
Current Spot: 71
Bonus Points Earned: 4
Bonus Points Used:0
What to read:
#1 in series
✸ Standalone books can be used for a 1 or a 0
#7 in series
#71 in series
Alternate: Several authors
Donna ETTY STEELE Vampire Hunter by Grayson Grave~~completed
Theo Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon~~ completed
SandyL A Berry Deadly Welcome by A.R. Winters~~completed
Suzanne The Ninefold Key by Rebecca Brandewyne~~ completed
BONUS POINTS:
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Halloween/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Mod
Spot 67
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Qualification: The Mortal Instruments #6
Date: 10/31/19
Ra..."
Friendly reminder: Reviews are expected to be min. 3 sentences long. Donna, please do keep an eye whether everyone's review posts comply with requirements as well. Thank you!
Week 10, Roll 1
Spot: 71
Book: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Qualification: Hunter Legends Series #1
Finished: 11/2/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Grace is unable to trust a man long enough to invite him into her bed because of a bad experience in college, but after some drinks on her birthday, Grace's best friend convinces her to summon an ancient sex slave trapped in a book. Much to her surprise, Julian of Macedon actually appears in her living room, and as Grace gets to know Julian, she decides to help him escape the curse that keeps him trapped. This was a quick and fun read. There's not much plot and any twists that the characters encounter are quickly resolved, but the characters have good chemistry, which I think is the main point of this story.
Mod
Roll 1
Spot: 71
Book:ETTY STEELE Vampire Hunter by Grayson Grave
Qualification:The Hunter Series #1
Read:11/2/19
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
I have never read anything by this author so I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were interesting. I loved that April wasn't willing to judge people based on pre-conceived notions. Just because Dimi is a vampire, it doesn't make him evil. The adults have lots of prejudices in this book and can learn a lot from the children. Overall, it was a fun book that held my attention and I breezed right through it.
Week 10, Roll 1Spot: 71
A Berry Deadly Welcome by A.R. Winters
Qualification: Kylie Berry #1
Read: 11/1/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this book. I did enjoy parts of it and the story was interesting and moved along quickly. But the premise behind it didn't make a lot of sense. Kylie Berry is struggling after her divorce, without a penny to her name. Her cousin offers her a spot at her diner in Kentucky. When Kylie shows up, her cousin throws her the keys, says she selling the place to Kylie and takes off. Huh? Then Kylie's ex-aunt-in-law badmouths her to the town, so she starts losing business. Next, Kylie can't cook. At all! I was dumbfounded when she was baking things from scratch without a recipe and couldn't understand when they didn't turn out. When a woman turns up dead after eating one of Kylie's creations, she decides she needs to figure out what happened. All the while serving only spaghetti and store-bought cookies at her diner. Again, huh? It is the first book in the series, so I may continue on to see if things get better, and to see what happens between Kylie and Brad.
Week 10, Roll 1Spot: 71
The Ninefold Key by Rebecca Brandewyne
Qualification: Standalone
Read: 11/3/19
Rating: ***
Review: This book was kind of cheesy. Very wordy and descriptive and not enough plot in the beginning. However, I stuck it out and it got better in the end. It just took a bit to get there and I needed patience ;)
Mod
Week:10 Roll:2
Dice roll:5
Previous Spot:71
Current Spot: 76
Bonus Points Earned: 4
Bonus Points Used:0
What to read:
#6 in series
#7 in series
#76 in series
Alternate: Cover: Orange
Donna The Gender End by Bella Forrest~~completed
Theo The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum~~ completed
SandyL Texas Fall by R.J. Scott~~completed
Suzanne Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr~~completed
BONUS POINTS:
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Halloween/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Week 10, Roll 2
Spot: 76
Book: The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Qualification: Oz #6
Finished: 11/6/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Dorothy's aunt and uncle are about to lose their farm after defaulting on their mortgage in Kansas, and so she decides to visit Oz once again to see if Ozma would allow the three of them to move there permanently. But as Dorothy takes Uncle Henry and Aunt Em on a grand tour to meet a variety of Ozian inhabitants, the Nome King is planning its destruction and he's got quite a few bad guys helping him out. These are sweet stories that I think hold up well and can still be enjoyed by today's children.
Week 10, Roll 2Spot: 76
Texas Fall by R.J. Scott
Qualification: Texas #6
Read: 11/6/19
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I'm really enjoying this series about the life and adventures of Jack and Riley Campbell-Hayes! I do wish the book had included more about Liam and Marcus after the trial. But that was kind-of overshadowed by Riley getting kidnapped in Mexico!! One of the things I love about this series is that Jack and Riley keep adding people to their world - this book added Darren and Vaughn. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in line!
Mod
Roll 2
Spot: 76
Book:The Gender End by Bella Forrest
Qualification: The Gender Game #7
Read: 11/6/19
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
This was a wonderful ending to such an engaging series. I love the characters and I hate when some of them are killed off. I loved that this book brought together all the my favorite couples. I enjoyed reading about them falling in love. I don't miss King Maxen, Queen Elena or Desmond. I am curious out the people in the Outlands. There is a story there that really wasn't told. I am looking forward to reading other series by this author.
Week 10Roll 2
Spot: 76
Book: Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr
Qualification: Virgin River #6
Read: 11/7/2019
Rating: *****
Review: I liked this one a lot, but the age difference between the two worried me. She's 25 and he's 38, it's a spring-winter romance? May-July romance? Not sure what the term is... At any rate, these books are comfort reads to me and it was nice to cozy up and revisit virgin river.
Mod
Mod
Week:11 Roll:1
Dice roll:2
Previous Spot:76
Current Spot: 78
Bonus Points Earned: 4
Bonus Points Used:0
What to read:
#7 in series
# 8 in series
#78 in series
Alternate:Fantasy
Donna A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr~~completed
Theo Lover Mine by J.R. Ward~~completed
SandyL Rock Chick Revolution by Kristen Ashley~~completed
Suzanne Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen~~completed
BONUS POINTS:
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Halloween/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Week 11Roll 1
Spot: 78
Book: Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen
Qualification: Fantasy
Read: 11/10/2019
Rating: *****
Review: This was a cute sci-fi novel! The main character is a time travel agent who gets stuck in the 1990s after a botched mission. For 18 years he's lived his life as best as he could with a wife and teenage daughter. Then a retrievaql agent finally contacts him to bring him home, but he's not so sure he wants to leave now. The author's previous works were comics and this is his first literary novel. I liked it a lot and he's got two more books listed for publication so I'll have to check those out when they are released!
Week 11, Roll 1
Spot: 78
Book: Lover Mine by J.R. Ward
Qualification: Black Dagger Brotherhood #8
Finished: 11/9/19
Rating: 3 stars
Review: This installment mainly focuses on the developing relationship between John Matthew and Xhex. As Shakespeare said, the course of true love never did run smooth, and we see that in spades with these two. As always, there's also a lot of secondary/tertiary plots going on, so we see more of the Blay/Qhuinn dynamic, we catch up with Payne, we get Darius POV flashbacks, and there's a ghost-hunting team down in South Carolina. Ward does a good job of keeping all the storylines connected, like any great soap opera.
Hi! I’ve finished my book but my internet is down - not sure when it will be back up and I don’t know how to add books on the app (I rarely use it) Hopefully it will come back on tonight but if not I’ll go somewhere with access in the morning
Mod
Mod
Roll 1
Spot: 78
Book: A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr
Qualification: Mac Faraday Mystery #8
Read:11/9/19
Rating:4 star
Review:
This was definitely a fun book. There was so much happening that it muddled the murder mystery up quite well. There is a lot of abuse of women in this book. I was glad to see that these women finally got some help out of their personal hells. I have to say that the dogs were my favorite characters. Especially the police dog guarding his specially made cookies. I would definitely read more of this series.
Week 11, Roll 1Spot: 78
Rock Chick Revolution by Kristen Ashley
Qualification: Rock Chick #8
Read: 11/9/19
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I'm so sad this series is over. I loved, loved, loved Ally and Ren. I also liked how more of Darius' story was included. Ally is awesome in this book - the way she would stand up for herself to her brothers and to Ren, and how kick-ass she was when she took on the bad guys! As with the other books in the series, there are quirky characters and lots of access to the Hot Bunch. And, like in the other stories, there was vulnerability in the MC's, especially when Ally thought Ren was hung up on Ava. Then, the weddings, babies, shootings, kidnappings and hot sexy times to round things out. Amazing!!
I'm so sorry I'm late - and I'm thankful my cable and internet came back on overnight. I don't realize how reliant I am on them, and I dread what's gonna happen when we have the big earthquake here in CA and everything goes out for who knows how long!!
Mod
Week:11 Roll:2
Dice roll:4
Previous Spot:78
Current Spot: 82
Bonus Points Earned: 4
Bonus Points Used:0
What to read:
#2 in series
# 8 in series
#82 in series
Alternate:Author S
Donna
Theo
SandyL
Suzanne
BONUS POINTS:
✸ One point can be earned for never picking a book from the alternate lists. This point is awarded when your team rolls past 90.
NOTE:
✸ Each point can only be earned once per team.
✸ The series-specific bonus points (3 or more books/ starting and finishing a series) must be two different series.
✸ Single book bonuses (>500 pages/ Halloween/ 2 in 1) may overlap with a series bonus.
Mod
Mod
Thanks for captaining and keeping us on track Donna!!! It's been great playing with you guys!
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Lover Mine (other topics)A Wedding and a Killing (other topics)
Rock Chick Revolution (other topics)
Here and Now and Then (other topics)
Rock Chick Revolution (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lauren Carr (other topics)Kristen Ashley (other topics)
J.R. Ward (other topics)
Mike Chen (other topics)
Kristen Ashley (other topics)
More...
Spot: 56
Book: See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
Qualification: Three Word Title excluding articles like A, An, The (i.e. Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone)
Finished: 10/23/2019
Rating: ****
Review: It's a cute contemporary romance novel, similar to Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It was a fun read.