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R12: SS Team 8 - Reading Eight Days A Week
Week 4Spot 24
The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood by Melanie Cellier
Qualification: 2nd in a series
Read: 10/11
Pages 354
Stars: 4
Review: When I realized that the heroine of this book was actually the villain in the first book, I didn't know if I was going to like it. But Ava won me over and I ended up really enjoying this book even better than the first. I loved the supporting characters and this was less like a fairy tale and more like the Hunger Games. I am glad I didn't discount this book because I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Completion Post: Week 4 - Spot 24
Coming to a Crossroads by Marie Ferrarella
Qualification: Matchmaking Mamas #24
Read: 10/11/20
Rating: ★★★★
Review: This was lovely. A very low angst, low drama, sweet romance. I loved both main characters a lot. Ethan is a surgeon but also the sweetest guy and a bit of a dork. He was absolutely charming. Liz was great. I loved that she was a ride share driver (like Lyft but only it was called Chariot in the book which I thought was cute) and she’s very witty and funny. She and Ethan had some really fun banter between them. The romance was great, they meet at Ethan’s friend’s bachelor party when Liz drives them home. All of Ethan’s friends were crazy drunk (Ethan was sober) so their antics in the car were pretty funny. The ending was great as there wasn’t a big break-up/separation. There is a misunderstanding but that’s resolved really quickly because the characters actually talk to each other like adults which I always appreciate. This was my first book by this author and I started really far into the series but I will definitely be reading more.
Week 4 (Spot 24) Selection Edit
Pages: 398
How it fits: #2
Sam wrote: "Need a finish date please, Patti."Fixed!
Maddielucy(Patti) wrote: "Sam wrote: "Need a finish date please, Patti."Fixed!"
Thank you.
Completion Post Spot: #24
Book: Blaze
Author: Dale Mayer
Pages: 163
Spot: #24
How it fits: #4 The K9 Files
Date Read: Oct 14 ★★★★✰
This heart-warming series revolves around a group medically discharged servicemen, each finding their own HEA. The difference between this series and others is the war dogs. Each hero is asked to find a lost traumatised service dog that has fallen through the cracks when it's previous handler has died or been seriously injured. Pierce is given the task of finding Solo, and while searching for her, meets event planner, Camilla. Soon an old family feud interferes in their blossoming relationship. A nice addition to the series.
Week 4 (Spot 24) Completion
Pages: 398
How it fits: #2 in series
Date read: 15/10/20
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I definitely found Fowl to be absolutely useless in this book! He couldn't look after himself one whit. But I liked the respect he found in Holly :) I like their blooming relationship, can't wait for the angst and denial and then the make-up I believe will happen in the following books <3
Completion postSpot: 24
Book: Evan Help Us- Rhys Bowen
Qualification: Constable Evans #2
Date read: 10/15/20
Rating: 4 stars
Review: Life is getting a little exciting in the little Welsh village where Constable Evans works. A visiting colonel finds the ruins of a building on the mountain; is it part of King Arthur's castle or the last remains of a saint? The village is in an uproar, excited that they might be famous. New girl Annie Pigeon has moved into the village and appears to have set her sights on Constable Evans, much to the dismay of Betsy and Bronwyn. Local boy finally returns to the village after 20 years, and has enormous plans for the village, which some are excited about and others not. When both the colonel and the local boy end up dead, it is up to Constable Evans to discover who the killer is. I do enjoy this series. It's very laid back but with lots of interesting characters. Constable Evans doesn't appear to be the most intelligent of men, but he has a good heart and a strong sense of loyalty. He is also fairly good about remembering things that he is told, and this helps him solve these cases. I do not really care for his superior, though I do like the Sergeant who works with Evans occasionally. I did not figure out the killer until just before Evans did. I will be continuing this series.
Excellent job, team! We're ready to roll tonight on time.
yay!! super excited haha. hope we are still in the 20s!
Rolled a 9 this week, putting us on spot 33.Can read #3 or #33 in a series.
Alternate is a book set in Australia.
Sam -- FYI -- I will be using the same book for both groups this time. I waited until you rolled to start it. Thanks!!
Mod
Spot: 33
Book: A Crown of Iron & Silver by Hailey Turner
Qualification: Soulbound #3
Pages: 368
Selection Post: Week 5 - Spot 33
Book: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Qualification: Alternate: Book is set in Australia
Pages: 362
Completion Post: Week 5 - Spot 33
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Qualification: Alternate: Book is set in Australia
Read: 10/17/20
Rating: ★★
Review: I feel like a monster, given the sensitive subject matter but goodness this book was awful. I hated both characters. Tom was dull, had no back bone nor personality. He was a doormat. Isabel was insane and unhinged. Sure, I empathized with what she had gone through but she was still such an insufferable character. I didn’t care what happened to them in the end. The writing wasn’t my favorite either. The prose was a bit too flowery that at times the sentences wouldn’t make any sense. I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading on my kindle just to make it go quicker because this was such a boring read. Definitely one of the instances where I just didn’t get the hype.
Week 5 (Spot 33) Selection
Qualification: 3rd in series
Pages: 352
Completion post -- Spot 33Love at the Lighthouse by Kay Correll
Qualification: 3rd in the Lighthouse Point series
Read: 10/18
Rating 4 stars
Review: In the 3rd installment of the Lighthouse Point series, it’s Susan’s turn for love. She and her son Jamie are working hard to save their beloved Inn, but Susan’s ex-husband Russell is doing everything he can to ruin them. Enter Adam, who at first meeting, is working for Russell but quickly falls for Susan and the Inn and decides to help them out. This made for a good way to move the “love story” along. Both Susan and Adam are good people who deserve happiness. I actually wish this book had been a bit longer to add some more dimension to the story. Everything was fairly rushed, and it could have used more development. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and will continue with the series!!
Mod
Spot: 33
Book: A Crown of Iron & Silver by Hailey Turner
Qualification: Soulbound #3
Pages: 368
Finished: 21 Oct 2020
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Patrick, Jono and their pack tangle with the fae in this one, which of course means a deep dive into the world of Celtic mythology as spun by Hailey Turner. Patrick's old team is involved as well, and it turns out his former captain kept some rather monumental secrets. Journeying through the Veil, ill-advised bargains, mythical artefacts and the long reach and shady goals of the Dominion Sect all have their place in this book, which is just as wildly entertaining a ride as the previous ones. I very much hope this thing with Estelle and Youssef finally gets sorted out in the next book though, that's starting to feel a little overdue.
Completion Post Spot: #33
Book: Cade
Author: Dale Mayer
Pages: 256
Spot: #33
How it fits: #3 Seals of Steel
Date Read: Oct 21 ★★★✰✰
Review: A terrorist bombing of a military unit has left seven of them medically discharged with missing limbs. Someone is now targeting the families of the men. Unfortunately, this installment didn't live up to the previous two books in the series. There were two many convenient coincidences, that spoiled the plot line that had so much potential. The romance was a nice slow burn. 2.5 stars.
I'll be pushing getting this in on time. May be a little bit late. But it'll still be before the cut-off date, just later than the earliest roll time.
Completion postSpot: 33
Book: Evanly Choirs- Rhys Bowen
Qualification: Constable Evans #3
Date read: 10/22/20
Rating: 4 stars
Review: A famous opera tenor is staying in the village for the summer. When he is late for a local festival, Constable Evans goes to pick him up and finds him dead. Once again, he helps Sergeant Walsh investigate. I enjoyed this story quite a bit. There were a lot of red herrings with lots of people confessing to the crime. I was wrong on the killer (I identified the real killer earlier, but changed my mind to someone else; should have stuck with my first instinct). Evan finally appears to have made a choice from the girls. I look forward to continuing the series and see how things work out for him.
Week 5 (Spot 33) Completion
Qualification: 3rd in series
Pages: 352
Date read: 23/10/2020
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This one was actually really sweet! Showed them all working together, showed Artemis' loyalty and his desperation for his friend, and it also showed him being more of his badass evil mastermind self and using his brain.
I liked the development between Artemis and Holly, and how they're starting to see things more clearly. And I thought that the magical trigger sentence was a really smart thing! Although I don't like how they portrayed the NZ guy :/
For week 6, we rolled an 8, putting us on spot 41.We can read standalone, series #1, series #4 or series #41.
Alternate is title that starts with E.
Mod
Spot: 41
Book: A Vigil in the Mourning by Hailey Turner
Qualification: Soulbound #4
Pages: 368
Selection Post: Week 6 - Spot 41
Book: Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
Qualification: Stalking Jack the Ripper #4
Pages: 453
Week 5 (Spot 41) Selection
How it fits: #4
Pages: 416
Completion post: Spot 41The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Read 10/25
Qualification: Stand alone
Rating: 5 creepy stars
Review: Yes. Absolutely. Read this book. Sooooo many things to love -- if you love dark. I loved the 2 MCs and traveling back and forth between their two stories. I loved the ghosts -- angry, sad and vengeful. I loved Nick. Yes I did. loved the creepiness of the hotel, which was a character itself. I loved how almost everything takes place at night, which is perfect for a ghost story. This was a real page-turner for me. I Loved It!!! 5 creepy stars.
Completion Post: Week 6 - Spot 41
Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
Qualification: Stalking Jack the Ripper #4
Read: 10/26/20
Rating: ★★★
Review: What a dull ending to this series. The first 50% or so is all about contrived relationship stuff and since I’m the only person in the world who doesn’t care about Audrey Rose and Thomas’s relationship it did absolutely nothing for me except bore me to tears. When the mystery aspect did finally kick in it was a little too late. This book is almost 500 pages and the fact that it takes such a long time to get interesting is absurd. The mystery itself was okay. I liked that the author tied the series together by circling back to the first book, that was cool. I also think her writing gets stronger and stronger with each book. While this series was nothing all that impressive to me, I’m glad I finished. And I’m even more glad that there was more Mephistopheles which was wonderful. I’ll probably read Maniscalco’s next series just to see if I will enjoy that one more.
Completion Post Spot: #41
Book: Wicked
Author: Cheryl Holt
Pages: 252
Spot: #41
How it fits: #1 Reluctant Brides Trilogy
Date Read: Oct 28 ★★✰✰✰
Review: Rose is manouvered into a marriage of convenience by her mentor through her dying bequest. This in itself was a bit far fetched, but at the same time, it did portray the often desolate situation women of that time found themselves in as second class citizens in a man's world, dependant on men for their livelihood and well-being. On the writing style there was too much "telling" and not enough "showing", and a rather convoluted plot. 2 stars
Week 5 (Spot 41) Completion
Pages: 416
How it fits: #4
Date read: 29/10/2020
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Another 3 star. I'm definitely too old for this series. Over-all, a good instalment, but I feel like they're getting slower the further into the series I get. Slower and longer as well. This one was filled with Opal, the very annoying controlling villain, and I wanted to skip over her parts! I loved how tender this one felt though, with the bond growing stronger as they both grow older <3 Can't wait for feels to arrive!
Mod
Spot: 41
Book: A Vigil in the Mourning by Hailey Turner
Qualification: Soulbound #4
Pages: 368
Finished: 29 Oct 2020
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Patrick and Jono spend quite a lot of this book apart for a change, with Patrick sent to Chicago to chase down a potential lead on the whereabouts of Morrigan's staff, tangle with local politics and much to his chagrin get mixed up with yet more gods, this time of the Norse variety. Meanwhile, Jono is trying to ensure the safety of the packs under his protection only to learn that he's got a price on his head, with a bunch of vicious hunters coming after him courtesy of Estelle. And of course the Dominion Sect turns out to be up to no good yet again.
While I'm still enjoying this series, I really wish we'd see some resolution to at least one of the longrunning subplots happening sometime soon. And if Wade could get slightly less annoying at some point, that'd be lovely too. On the upside, valkyries on motorbikes! Would love to see them making another appearance in the future.
Completion postSpot: 41
Book: Evan and Elle- Rhys Bowen
Qualification: Constable Evans #4
Date read: 10/29/20
Rating: 4 stars
Review: Evan's life is good; he is dating his chosen girlfriend and enjoying the peace of his Welsh village. Then someone starts setting fires to try and run off the English visitors. A new French restaurant opens and now the proprietor is being threatened. When her restaurant is burned down and a dead body is found, Evan and Sergeant Watkins are determined to identify the dead body and identify the arsonist. I really enjoy this series. It is not as fast paced as some of the other series I read, but I really enjoy the characters. I love how Evan solves murders by using his head and listening to others, even though he doesn't have the same resources as the other police. I will definitely be continuing this series.
Bonus: series pick and alternate- title begins with E
3 books in same series
Excellent job, team! We have a little breathing time before our next roll tonight. We also won another bonus point. Is someone planning on reading a paranormal book this week to get the Halloween bonus? I would, except I'm going for the 9 book series and can't switch things up.
I'm planning on reading The Exorcist this week and it has a Paranormal MPG so that could work.
Mod
I'm working on that one, too! :D Would be one more book to go for me. Guess we can use either mine or yours for the 3 or more books in a series bonus instead?
If you only have one more book, then we can use mine for the 3 books in a series since I still have 5 more books to go.Thanks, Jamie, for doing the paranormal MPG.
For week 7, we rolled an 8, which puts us on space 49.Can read series #4, series #9 or series #49.
Alternate is an author with initial P.
We could also use a bonus point, which would put us on space 50.
For space 50, we could read standalone, series #5 or series #50.
Alternate would be a book with a blue cover.
Which would we prefer to do?
Mod
Im fine with either as well!!
I vote for space 50 but either is fine with me.
We have our first definite vote so I guess we should use a bonus point? This way, Jamie's Exorcist will count for the week and we'll get that bonus point.
Awesome! So once I finish The Exorcist I also have to read for Space 50 right?
Mod
You only have to read for space 50. If the book you read for this spot happens to belong to the horror, paranormal or urban fantasy genre, it'll get us the Halloween bonus point.
GR lists The Exorcist as #1 in a series, so it won't work for spot 50.
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
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By a Spider's Thread (other topics)
Deliverance (other topics)
Evan's Gate (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
J.A. Konrath (other topics)J.A. Konrath (other topics)
Sarah MacLean (other topics)
Laura Joh Rowland (other topics)
Pippa DaCosta (other topics)
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Spot: 24
Book: All Souls Near & Nigh by Hailey Turner
Qualification: Soulbound #2
Pages: 364
Finished: 09 Oct 2020
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Because Patrick doesn't yet have enough gods messing with his life, a few of the Aztec variety are adding to the supernatural chaos in New York. Then there are murdered werecreatures, drug-dealing vampires, and the little matter of an unintended soulbond and new relationship with Jono who has his own problems with the local god pack to deal with.
The action is pretty much non-stop, but there's still plenty of time to expand on the worldbuilding and character development as well as let the boys get in some alone time - the perfect mix to make for an impossible to put down read. More, please!