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R4: Eleven Readers Reading (11)
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Stacey
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Nov 22, 2014 04:11AM
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Spot 21
by Ilona AndrewsFinished:11/23/14
Rating:4 Stars
Review:For Kate Daniels discovering how the magical flares affect Altanta and seeing the rise of Celtic Mythological creatures. She's got her hands full. Curran the Beastlord request that Kate retrieve a newly created map done by The Pack. Meanwhile an orphan named Julie is searching for her mother. Can Kate solve the mystery?
my books are Death of a Schoolgirl
(number 1), Death of a Dowager
(number 2), and Waistcoats & Weaponry
(number 3). I know that's 3 books....but I'm covered for both weeks this way :)
Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ wrote: "Spot 13
by Julie Ann WalkerFinished:11/21/14
Rating:4 Stars
Review:This fourth installment in The Black Knights Inc Series is a thrilling read for me. I love this s..."
Good to know Angie! I almost picked book #1 (
) for Spot 13. Now I will have to start this series.
Week 2Spot 13
Read:
Rating: ****
Review: I was immediately drawn into this book after reading the 1st chapter. I think this book is tied, with #1 in the series, for the best book in the series.
London is a woman who does what she needs to do, to take care of her niece, who she claims as hers. She owns a cleaning business and works hard. She has heard of the MC in town and cleaned of few of their businesses. But one day she needs to ask a favor from Picnic, the MC's president, who in turn asks something from her....
I loved the chemistry, the plot and action in this book (well I loved just about everything in the book.) A great read! I can't wait until the next installment.(especially after reading the "bonus epilogue")
Happy Thanksgiving!
finished
book 1
Rate: 5 stars
Review: this is a brand new author to me...but I really liked the story. it is the first I've read of a post "Jane Eyre". I read Jane Eyre when I was a little girl...and now I need to read it again! but I liked how the mystery unfolds...although, I really do need to pay attention when I'm reading a mystery..any mystery!! I always miss little inconsitencies...which are always pointed out at the end of the book...to show how a crime was solved. I like how Jane Eyre became the amateur investigator in this story...and I look forward to the next book in the series!
Happy Thanksgiving team! I hope you all had a few moments to rest and read at your leisure. :)
Week 3Spot 21
Read:
Completed: 11/25/14
Rating: ****
Review: Emily Cooper, with the help from her boyfriend Dillon, has moved to NYC after her mother passes away. She has an encounter with a sexy man but little does she know, he is a friend of Dillon's. She fights her attraction for him, thinking Dillon is the man of her dreams, but little does she know, Dillon may not be the man for her.
This is the first book I have read from this author. I really liked the story, it kept me engaged. I was surprised with the ending though, it has a cliffhanger. I ended up reserving the next book from the library, I hope it comes in quickly.
Happy thanksgiving team! Hopefully get one review up tomorrow. Been busy;-)
Spot 13I read
Finished- 11/27
Rating- 2 stars
Review- 'Meh' at best;). I think I got this one free (good) and downloaded it because of the angel factor but couldn't get into it.
Skyla moves to Paragon island (off Washington State coast) after her father dies and mother remarries a man Skyla detests. Her house is possibly haunted by a dead girl (who happens to be exactly her age and her mother hadn't told her of this previously). She immediately jumps into this girl's place (walks on to the cheer team, takes her boyfriend and best friend). Oh, and finds out suddenly she's an angel (Celestra) by the boyfriend who happens to also be a Celestra angel who are also almost extinct- coincidence? Oh, there is the angel's cousin (different type of angel) who also wants to marry her. They are all perfectly beautiful of course (hey, they're angels!). But there are monsters that want them dead. And she can read minds.
Logan- Celestra angel boyfriend- knows all this stuff and tells her when it's convenient to him. You'd think she'd be FLOORED to find out she's an angel? Nope- just wants to make out with Logan. And be jealous about the dead ex-girlfriend who's life she's pretty much takes over....
So, that's about the gist of the book! Doesn't get better enough to raise the rating to above a 2. Oh well!
Hi ladies- I am switching week 3's book to
which is a first in series.
How are the books coming along ladies? I hope enjoyable.
finished
book 3 :)
Rate:5 stars...Ilove this series :)
Review: Finishing School has never been so entertaining! I mean finishing school is supposed to be for the gentry...girls learning etiquette but these girls are
learning how to be spies! they're learning subterfuge! and they are learning who their friends really are. it was humourous in all the right places, with quick forays into slight romance...but always, always in the business of spying. can't wait til the next book comes out!
Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ wrote: "Spot 21by Ilona AndrewsFinished:11/23/14
Rating:4 Stars
Review:For Kate Daniels discovering how the magical flares affect Altanta and seeing the rise of Celtic Myth..."
I love this series!
Week 3/ Spot 21I read
finished- 12/3
rating- 4 stars
Review-
From the outside, Dina Demille appears to be an ordinary Texas bed & breakfast innkeeper- but nothing could be further from the truth. Her 'inn' is a magical, sentient being, Dina is magical and equipped with a magical broom, and her 'guests' usually aren't from this planet. Her inn is actually a haven or sanctuary for visitors from afar (like, really afar) who may stop in for a rest or stay because of the safety and neutrality the inn offers from other 'beings' who may be after them. Dina's role is to remain neutral unless the inn or its guests are in immediate danger, but when an evil, sadistic creature starts to attack her neighbors, she decides to get involved. Sean, an alpha- werewolf in the neighborhood, also gets involved and together they make an agreement to put their differences aside and combat this enemy together, along with a vampire lord who arrives in pursuit of the evil dahaka that decimates everything in its path. Will this unusual alliance be enough to fight the dahaka?
If I read the summary of this book without knowing the author I would definitely pass- okay magic is cool, vampires and werewolves are a little overdone, and aliens too?! Sounds corny? It isn't! Ilona Andrews is a writing duo that can write about anything and I would love it. They make this bizarre story work- interesting, exciting, and funny! I love this author and will continue to buy the books as long as they churn them out with little contemplation.
Just a reminder, we roll tomorrow. If anyone has a team mate that hasn't checked in lately, captains go ahead and send a pm.
Week 2 - standalone
By Jessie Burton
Read: 27th Nov 2014
Rating: 3 stars
The Miniaturist is set in 17th century Amsterdam. To me as a European it is fun to read historical books set on this side of Atlantic. The history is more familiar to me and I can somehow better place the story into the time.
Nella moves to the city as she becomes the wife of Johannes Brandt. Their new home is beautiful but not welcoming. Johannes works hard and isn't very present in the every day life of the house. Most of the time Nella is left alone with his not-so-pleasant sister Marin.
As a wedding gift from her husband, Nella gets a replica of their house. She hires a miniaturist to furnish it. Through this wedding gift Nella finds out secrets about her new household and family and realizes she might have inadvertedly brought in a person who is a danger to the family - the miniaturist whose eyes don't miss any details.
I liked this book. I think I wanted to like it more than I did. I wanted it to be this amazing magical whirlwind and it wasn't. I had really high expectations and it didn't quite live up to them. I had hard time getting into the story. At some point I did and I really enjoyed it, but the beginning just didn't grab me the way I hoped it would have. I loved the style of writing and the descriptions. The author sets the scene so beautifully. If you love historical novels, you'll appreciate the attention to detail in this book. But in the historical setting, some of the characters and their behavior didn't seem to fit into the time period. And there was so much stuff fit into this book. I kind of feel less could've been more in this case. Or the book should've been longer to bring everything to a more satisfying conclusion and not feel so hurriedly and perhaps a little too easily wrapped up into a neat bow. I wanted this to be a five star book, but it just isn't.
Week 3 - 1st of series
By Marissa Meyer
Read: 4th Dec 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Now this book was all that I expected it to be. this trilogy is very hyped and I decided to give it shot after getting so many recommendations to do so.
Cinder is set in New Beijing, a futuristic city where humans and androids roam the streets. The story is loosely based on Cinderella. The elements are there but it is really quite something different from the original fairytale.
Cinder is a cyborg and the best mechanic in the city. She is having a problem with her mechanic foot in the very beginning of the book, giving the reader an idea what her version of the glass slipper might be. The prince Kai and Cinder meet as he brings his android for Cinder hoping she could fix it.
Unknown to the inhabitants of New Beijing the lunar people are watching them from space, waiting to make their move. Suddenly Cinder and prince Kai find themselves in the middle of intergalactic battle and growing forbidden attraction.
This book is a brilliant new take on an old fairytale. I liked looking for the elements of Cinderella and they were so well thought and even funny ideas. The world of New Beijing is so interesting and vivid, the characters envoke strong feelings. There's a few really mean characters that I disliked strongly. Cinder is a very likeable heroine and not too perfect. The writing grabs you along for the ride from the very beginning and this was an entertaining book. My only hangups are that the story is kind of very predictable and in general I just have this thing about fairytale retellings. They can be fun and entertaining, but I just feel like in this case the amazing setting could've been used to a truly original story as well, one that didn't use an old fairytale as a plotline. Nevertheless I'll be reading the other books in this series as well.
Great review! Just put Cinder on my to read list- thanks!
Stacey wrote: "Great review! Just put Cinder on my to read list- thanks!"I loved Cinder...I'm on book 3 now :) it's a cute re-telling of Cinderella!
Cinder is really enjoyable read! And for a fairytale retelling it's very unique.
Cinder has been on my tbr for awile now. After reading your review, I will have to move it up the list.
Jodi~how's your book coming?
Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ wrote: "Jodi~how's your book coming?"I finished both of my books, Posts #55 and #59.
Old Spot 21 Rolled 5New Spot 26
Alternative #26~Title N
Jodi~
ReviewStacey~
ReviewMinttu~
ReviewCatherine~
ReviewAngie~
Review
Spot 26
by Rebecca ZanettiFinished:12/6/14
Rating:4 Stars
Review:Jase Kayrs is out of control but the one thing that keeps him calm is Brenna Dunne. Brenna Dunne is hiding that she's seriously ill from everyone. Only mating with Jase Kayrs can possibly save Brenna from death. Brenna is receiving threats since she's eighth sister of seventh daughter surrounding her birth Winter Solstice. Demons want both Jase and Brenna dead. Kurjans also want them dead. It's a race against the clock to see what happens with Brenna. Can Brenna be saved?
Spot 26I will be reading
; it is #2 in the series.
I'm reading N title
By Kristin Hannah
Week 4Spot 26
Read:
Rating: ****
Review: Jake had always been a playboy; even back in middle school, Char has loved him since then.
Present day: Char and Jake are the maid of honor and best man for the couple in
, #1 in this series. Jake's grandmother, Nadine, keeps manipulating Char and Jake and puts them into funny situations. Soon Jake comes to realize how much Char means to him. My favorite character is grandma Nadine. She is hilarious and very spunky for her age! I love the situations Jake and Char find themselves in. I will be reading #3 in the series.
Week 4 - N Title
By: Kristin Hannah
Read: 11th Dec 2014
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
I love Kristin Hannah's books. This is the fourth one I've read and I can't help it, I've loved them all.
Night Road is a story of the Farraday family; overprotective mom Jude, laidback dad Miles and their twins Mia and Zack and also Lexi, a former foster kid with a troublesome past, who moves to the area and befriends the shy and unpopular Mia in school. The girls become best friends and inseparable. Lexi has secretly loved Zack from the very first moment they met and when he falls in love with her, she can't help letting her guard down and allowing herself to be happy.
Then one night one bad decision changes all of their lives. The Farraday family is torn apart and Lexi loses everything; her best friend, her love and the family she's come to love as her own, as the one she never had. Each one has to find a way to live on, to forget or to forgive.
This book was so happy and so awfully sad. I kept wanting Lexi to have everything she deserves and all through the story I knew that life is not a fairytale and something will happen. It was looming there in the future and the story built up to it brilliantly. The moment that changed everything. And all of a sudden the mood changed in a flash. Just like in real life. By the time it did I was already so invested in these characters that I wanted to keep reading day and night. Kristin Hannah is brilliant at describing heartbreaking and dark times in life without ever losing the hope. Each of her books has affected me somehow. Home Front probably the most. This one is a close second. Amazing, touching, sad read with full of hope.
Week 4. I read a 6th in a series FInished 12/11/14
Rating- 5 stars
Review- I will post a shorter review for me due to my ridiculous lack of time currently and maybe expand later (maybe not;))
Kate and Curran take some of their core shapeshifters on the road for this 6th book in the Kate Daniels series- so exciting to see them out of their 'element' and out of Atlanta. Kate is now Curran's mate and understanding what the role of consort really means as she stands by him while they watch many of their packs' teenagers 'go loup' during puberty- meaning they go feral and cannot control their were- behavior, instead turning into immoral killing machines. If their bodies lived through this shift, their packmates had to kill them. Kate pondered the question of her and Curran's offspring while watching friends' children die and decides she has to help find a cure. There is only one known 'antidote'- a chemical called panacea- which is only produced overseas. When a shapeshifter group requests Curran's presence to preside over a dispute, offering to pay them with the antidote, they know they cannot refuse. They also know they are most likely heading into a trap but have no choice- and Kate is fully committed to helping them. They bring along a bunch of our favorite characters and a few we will get to know during this story, leaving some behind to worry and wait the three months it will take to complete their journey. If successful, the future of the pack's (and Kate and Curran's) children will be much brighter. If they failed it could mean an end to them and the entire Atlanta pack...
These books keep getting better. The writing is excellent- exciting, funny, well written. I just love this author team and the places they take me every time I start one of their novels. I can't wait to see where the characters go next, even though some of them make me worried! Can't wait for number 7.
Minttu, Night Road sounds good, I added the title to my TBR! Thanks!
finished Book:
2nd in series
Rate: 5 stars
Review: I really enjoyed this next episode to Jane Eyer's life. Jane is still undergoing great scrutiny from the upper classes...especially the erstwhile country neighbours..the Ingrams...who had waned to have a marriage between the eldest daughter and Edward Rochester. Unfortunately, Edward saw throught this ruse (Mrs Ingram ony wanted his money for he daughter, Blanche).
in this book, Blanche and her mother, Silvana, continue to besmirch jane's name...until a night at the opera, when she is presented to (and invited to the private box of) Prince George IV. even after this, Blnche and her mother try to start gossip all over London, and also ry to ruin her friends and aquaintances just by association.
Old Spot 26 Rolled 11New Spot 37
Alternative #37~Pink
Stacey~
ReviewCatherine~
ReviewJodi~
ReviewMinttu~
ReviewAngie~
Review
I will be reading
; alternate #37-Pink cover and #7 in a series.
Jodi wrote: "I will be reading ; alternate #37-Pink cover."Great book Jodi. Still debating which book to read. I've got four choices:
,
,
, or
.
Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ wrote: "Jodi wrote: "I will be reading ; alternate #37-Pink cover."Great book Jodi. Still debating which book to read. I've got four choices:[bookcover:Iron ..."
Can't go wrong with the 'magic' series!
Spot 37
by Ilona AndrewsFinished:12/14/14
Rating:3 Stars
Review:I don't think I was in the mood to read this book because I couldn't care about the story or characters at all. I really tried but honestly it just dragged on and on for me. Better luck next time.
Space 37Read:
Completed: 12/17/14
Rating: *****
Review: I absolutely loved this book in the series!
Charley Davidson is a private detective who is also a grim reaper who is love with Reyes, the son of the devil. In this book, she is trying to keep away from the twelve hounds of hell who have been sent, by the devil, to kill her. Besides staying alive she is trying to solve her case of the 3 missing people who wrote a suicide note but their families don't think they committed suicide.
The secondary characters help make the book(and series)! This was a funny, fast and easy read. I laughed out loud and at times had tears in my eyes. I think this books explains more of Charley's life and powers and edges us close to the end of the series(my opinion.) I would highly recommend this series.
Just a reminder:Teams will roll on Friday (12/19) two times for two spots. No roll on 12/26. Both book's deadline will be 1/2 and then the game resumes it's normal schedule.
If you feel you won't be able to manage either holiday's rolls that's ok. Just let your team know and you can skip those rolls without penalizing the team.
Space 37I read
Finished 12/18
rating 4.5 stars
review-
Dr. Barry Laverty has been working as a rural physician in the fictional little town of Ballybucklebo for five months and is approaching his first Christmas as junior partner to Dr. Fingal O'Reilly. A strange snowstorm has covered the area bringing with it beauty and challenges to traveling doctors in a rural area. The doctors are busy practicing their usual country medicine (which Barry is beginning to understand can be much different than the medicine of his textbooks) and dealing with the extra aches and pains of the holiday season. Barry is quite upset when he hears his girlfriend Patricia, who has been studying abroad, may not make it home for the holidays. O'Reilly is also having romantic issues of his own, as well as some medical issues, and Barry is left to deal with patients on his own for the first time. To add to the stress of the season a new doctor has moved in close by and is taking some of the patients from the boys- can this small area be able to sustain three country doctors?
I loved this book. I missed the second one but Mr. Taylor is good about giving back plot so it was easy to catch up. I love these characters- I don't mean to say their lives are 'simple' but there is something so quaint and grounded by the folks in Ballybucklebo that I want to go and live there for a while! I love all the characters and seeing some new depth in Dr O'Reilly- the softness under the gruff exterior- that I feel I know them more after this book. And it's funny!m Add the warmth of Christmas and I was thrilled to find a few moments here and there to enjoy this. Just a great read all around.
Stacey wrote: "Space 37I read
Finished 12/18
rating 4.5 stars
review-
Dr. Barry Laverty has been working as a rural physician in the fictional little town of Bally..."
oooh..Stacey....I see you've read
!!! I love this series:) I have read all 9(waiting for book 10 now). have you read James Herriot? he writes in a similar manner as Patrick Taylor :) and I found (accidentally, of course) another author
...similar style..although he's from Tennessee(I think)
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