The Challenge Factory discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
♦SSS Archives♦
>
R5: SSS 6 of a Kind

At the Stroke of Madness by Alex Kava (Maggie O'Dell #4)

Finished: 12/20/14
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was easy to read and seemed a little shorter than the other ones in the series. Maggie O'Dell is a kick ass character and I liked that this book was not about her crazy mom. The premise of the book was a crazy weird- a serial killer who finds victims who have some type of disease or disorder and cuts the diseased organ out of their bodies- but it was pretty hard to put down. My one complaint is that the actual killer was not developed much in the rest of the book. All of the other "suspects" were described in depth, and although I had no idea who the killer would be at the end, it's mostly because he was only mentioned once and very briefly.

6th in a series

Rating: 4 Stars
Finished: 12/20/14
I'll post my whole review when I write it. I really loved this addition to the series. A lot of crazy things happen, but of course there were some great laugh out loud Sophie moments. All hell broke loose...and I loved every minute of it.


Teams will roll on Sunday (12/21) two times for two spots. No rolls on 12/25, 12/28, and 1/1. Both book's deadline will be 1/4 and then the game resumes it's normal schedule.




Reading Options
~ Book 4 in a series
~ Book 8 in a series
~ Book 48 in a series
~ A book with a headless person on the cover
Then I rolled a 3, to move to spot 51.
Reading Options
~ Book 5 in a series
~ Book 1 in a series
~ Book 51 in a series
~ A book with an orange cover.




That would work great Rebecca.


Finished:12/22/14
Rating:4 Stars
Review:Delilah Fairchild's Uncle Theo is missing and she asks Bryan "Mac" McMillan of Black Knights Inc for help. Delilah doesn't understand the hot and cold responses she gets from Mac. Mac will do everything in his power to help Delilah find her uncle. But can he stop from wanting Delilah either. Forced in close quarters that Mac discovers that he can't stay away from her either. Will Delilah's Uncle Theo be found? Will Mac walk away from Delilah? Find out in Hell for Leather.


Finished:12/23/14
Rating:4 Stars
Review:Graham "Ham" Reece walked away from Zara Cinders even knowing that it was wrong. Three years later he walks back into Zara's life giving her all the help she needs. Can Zara trust Ham to stay put this time? Will Zara admit she still loves him? Your answers await you in Jagged.

Headless Person on Cover

Rating: 4 Stars
Finished: 12/24/14
I was really excited to finally get a chance to read Cole and Kat’s story. I liked them both a lot from the bits and pieces of them that we saw in the previous two books. Cole is a little more on the dark, break the law side of things and we learn early on that Kat fits in well with him. It was great getting to learn Kat’s secrets now that she’s telling the story.
I really liked that there wasn’t a whole lot of back and forth, will they, won’t they. Both Cole and Kat knew what they wanted and Kat definitely wasn’t going to take no for an answer. These two are super hot together and really made for each other. They challenge each other and fill in the holes that they both so desperately have needed filling in their entire lives. Cole’s back story is ridiculously sad and scary and it’s amazing he made it out alive. Kat’s back story isn’t all sunshine and roses either and it’s her history that starts them on their path.
We got to see Damien Stark and Nikki in this book, which was great. I really enjoyed their series and this series and I look forward to more from J. Kenner in this world.

1st in Series

Rating: 3 stars
Finished: 12/27/14
This was a pretty good start to a new urban fantasy series. I really like the world that has been built for Emma and Zack. I always enjoy new mythological characters and sirens have definitely not been used a whole lot in the urban fantasy genre. This first book in the series felt a little disjointed at times, which could have been because it was a new world or because the book was written by two authors. It was a little overlong in parts and I wasn’t always 100% connected to Emma. Being that she is supposed to be ancient, she often didn’t feel that way. I kind of wanted a little more world weariness from her maybe or maybe more of a feeling that she had centuries upon centuries of wisdom under her belt.
I really like Zack. He was my favorite part of the book and I look forward to seeing more of him. I really do enjoy the supernatural world mixing with real life suspense. I think that will be an interesting part of the series as well. I look forward to the series continuing and already have a novella and book 2 to read.

The Sportswriter by Richard Ford

Finished: 12/27/14
Rating: ★★★
Review:
This was an extremely well-written character portrayal that was just way too long. The book describes a few days in the life of Frank Bascombe, a thirty-eight year old failed author who is now a sportswriter, which is fine with him. On the outside, he is perfectly content with his life in suburban New Jersey where he is still friends with his estranged ex-wife, with whom he makes a yearly trip to visit the grave of his dead son. He is fine with his distant relationship with his two living children and his new girlfriend, a not very smart nurse who recently left an abusive marriage. Everything about this book is dismal and depressing, and while Frank himself is not very interesting, the writing is compelling. However, after about 200 pages, I was wishing it would end.


Finished: 12/30/14
Rating: ★★
Review:
This book was pretty boring. It picked up a little about halfway through, but that's not acceptable for a thriller...I expect to be into it way before that. The main plot of the book was completely ridiculous...I won't say what happened in case anyone wants to read this but it was so unrealistic. The main character, Eve Duncan, got on my nerves A LOT. She was bribed to do an unsavory job for a well known democratic businessman/politician. She didn't want to do the job but after the politician made a large donation to a children's charity, she could not turn it down. So she accepted, but the entire time she complained and backed out over and over again. Most of the book was about how much she didn't want to do the job. The ending was kind of a cliffhanger, making me want to read on but I doubt I will.



5 stars
Review
O.M.G what an amazing end to this series and there were actuly a vew twists along the way. I couldn't wrap my head around it i love Jessie and and Pietr and i was sad to see this series come to an end. There were times when i was reading this book and i had to stop and say wow. This book was freaking epic i loved it.


5 stars
Review
This book is the first in a new series called ( Immortal Guardians )and what a phenomenal start to the series. The action starts right away and leaves you on the edge of you're seat all the way till the end. All the Immortals Guardians have different gifts and are like vampires. I loved this book

No worries Joeera. Just remember we've used the free pass so if you aren't able to check in again without letting us know, we will not be able to roll. Hope your vacation is going well!

Reading Options
~ Book 5 in a series
~ Book 7 in a series
~ Book 57 in a series
~ A book at least partially set in Texas.

7th in a series

Rating: 4 Stars
Finished: 1/7/15
I can't believe the series is over and Risa's journey has come to an end. This was, of course, pretty dang action packed, but there were some moments that kind of dragged. Overall, it was extremely satisfying though. All of the questions and left over bits and pieces were answered and accounted for. I love Risa and Azriel and I of course love seeing Riley and Quinn, even if only for a brief moment or two. I can't wait to read more by Keri Arthur.

5th in a series

Finished: 1/7/15
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
I gave this book 5 stars because it did what it was supposed to do, which is, kept me guessing until the end. I appreciated how #5 in this series focused more on the plot than on the characters, Flea and Caffery, and all of their personal issues. The plot was very intriguing: cars are being stolen with young girls in the backseats. The first two girls are dropped off on the side of the road a few miles away, leading the police to believe that the suspect is simply interested in stealing cars, but the plot thickens when he begins to hold on to the children. And it's not a pedophile! I found myself racing to the end to find out what on earth was going on. Definitely the best yet in this series.


Finished:1/5/15
Rating:4 Stars
Review:Vanda Barkowski doesn't need anger management classes or a sponsor either made mandatory by The Coven Master. Phil Jones has always wanted Vanda but the rules of being a sponsor won't allow it. How to spend time with her seems impossible. Will either of them admit their attraction?


3 stars
Review
I was not expecting how the plot thread would tie up nice and even the way it was. I liked it enough but, i did not love it. I really hated how Haven treated Damen how one minut she trusts him and then she finds out he didn't tell her something she doesn't trust him anymore.

I rolled a 3, we are now on spot 60.
Reading Options
~ Book 6 in a series
~ A standalone book
~ Book 60 in a series
~ A book from the Interested shelf


Finished: 1/10/15
Rating: ★★★
Review:
So this novel was kind of the culmination of a side plot that has been brewing throughout the series and it was a little disappointing. A serial killer called "the Pretender" has been tracking Taylor Jackson and sort of toying with her, which has only served to make her even more "poor me" than she already is. In this one, she decided she needed to act alone in order to keep her loved ones safe, so she just put herself into a very dangerous position for no real reason but she always does that. It was kind of ok until the end, where she actually had the killer on the ground and could have shot him, but her conscience told her it would be a revenge murder and would make her a murderer rather than a cop. So rather than shooting him, she just kind of stands there and gets shot. I hate when I'm reading a book and the heroine does something ridiculous like that.
It was a well-written and intriguing book like all of the books in this series. There is one left and I'm interested to see what happens. I hope that Taylor breaks up with her boyfriend because their relationship is annoying. We shall see!

Standalone

Rating: 2 Stars
Finished: 1/8/15
I was really interested in reading this book because I liked the idea of a female baseball manager. It's definitely not something you see and I thought it would be a unique and fun story to read. That was pretty much the only interesting thing about the book. The characters were all pretty much wet blankets. I didn't feel a connection to any of them. Everything felt forced, from the chemistry between Heather and Garrett to the back stories for each of them.
The only thing that felt genuine was Garrett's relationship with Levi. I thought Heather's idea to have the players interact with foster kids was great, but given that she is a female in the baseball world, I didn't understand why she didn't try to reach out to female foster kids as well.
Bits and pieces of this book were decent, but it was overlong and predictable and in the end I didn't really care one way or the other what happened to the characters. Although, I was hoping that with the happily ever after ending, that Garrett would decide to adopt Levi, but I guess I'll just have to imagine that's how things went.


Finished:1/10/15
Rating:4 Stars
Review:I really liked this book. I found the characters to be honest, rude, real, down to earth, and hardworking. I'm definitely going to be reading the next book in the series.


5 stars
Review
This book is the last one in this series. It was full of a !ot of twists and turns i loved it i couldn't put it down. This was a wounderful conclusion to this series Noel created these wounderful books and i am glad to have gone on this journey. I am sad to see that this adventure as come to an end. This was my favorite book of the series.

Reading Options
~ Book 6 in a series
~ Book 66 in a series
~ A book published in 2011


Finished:1/11/115
Rating:4 Stars
Review:Mystery person who happens to be newly discovered Blood takes exception to being laughed at searches for a way to make The Blood pay. Meanwhile Jaenelle Angelline is still recovering from events of the previous year. Daemon Sadi SaDiablo is trying to be protector and husband just not sure if he's doing a good job of either position. Lucivar Yaslana is still shaken by the events of previous year but also because of his inability to be educated like his brother and father are. Surreal is adjusting to life as retired assassin and being fussed at by males. What will bring this family together again? Your answers await you in Tangled Webs.

Published in 2011

Rating: 3 Stars
Finished: 1/11/15
This was different and interesting and a pretty good read. I’m still partial to Samantha’s contemporary romance, but I look forward to continuing through your backlist after reading this. I liked Avery and Brennus. They had an interesting dynamic, turned relationship. There were moments that I felt really bad for both of them especially after learning each of their back stories. The supernatural aspect of this story was interesting and I actually would like to see more of this world and what life is like for Avery and Brennus after the end of this story.


Finished: 1/14/15
Rating: ★★★
Review:
I have read this book before but I didn't really remember it and I wanted to read it again with all the hype it is getting. It's a pretty decent book in the sense that there are a lot of twists and turns and a surprise ending. However, it's also really unrealistic, and so completely out of the realm of possibility that it takes away from the story. Similar to the movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler but more sinister. Still not a bad read, especially if you need a quick one, which I definitely did!




5 stars
Review
This book was an amazing thrill ride I loved it. This story involves a long standing b!oold feud,a major family crisis and messed up love live. She also manages to forgive herself for not being able to save her sister when they were children and that is excately what her sister need from her so she could move on to a better place.

Oh no ... not sure how you could lose your goodreads account, as it is not stored on your computer.


This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Books mentioned in this topic
Under My Skin (other topics)Desires of a Perfect Lady (other topics)
Desires of a Perfect Lady (other topics)
Worth the Chance (other topics)
Worth the Chance (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
John Sandford (other topics)Jeffery Deaver (other topics)
J.T. Ellison (other topics)
Elly Griffiths (other topics)
S.J. Watson (other topics)
More...
Finished:12/18/14
Rating:3 Stars
Review:I think it's time for me to step away from the series because I'm not connecting with the characters like I do in other books. I'm hoping that fresher perspective will make for better reading enjoyment for me in the future.