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R13: SSS Team 3 - Serial Slayers
The book fairies are good! We rolled a six - again! WOOT! I am so excited. This puts us on Spot 53. You can read:- A series #5
- A series #3
- A series #53
- ALT: Cover: Pink
Selection Post Week 7Roll 14 - Spot 53
Book: Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara
Pages: 269 per GR
How It Fits: This book is #5 in the Big Bad Wolf series.
Bonus: ✸ One point can be earned for reading three or more books in a series. This will be my third book from the Big Bad Wolf series completed for this challenge.
Completion PostWeek 7, Roll 14, Spot 53
Book: Wife for Hire by Janet Evanovich
Date Read: 3/8/22
How It Fits: #3 in the Elsie Hawkins series
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: I always get a kick out of reading about feisty senior citizen Elsie and this time was certainly no exception. She was in rare form as she and her glock "Little Leroy" took on a small Vermont town in "Wife for Hire". I will miss her when I am done with book 4. She's my favorite part of the series and was especially so in this book. Some of the other parts of this particular novel were less desirable and dare I say it, even a little dumb. I hated the hero and heroine's insta-love for each other. I get insta-lust, but love? Nah. Still, I enjoyed the humor in the book and the hijinks, if not the heroine's tiresome whining.
Completion Post Week 7Roll 14 - Spot 53
Book: Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara
Pages: 269 per GR
How It Fits: This book is #5 in the Big Bad Wolf series.
Completed: 03/08/2022
Rating: 5 stars
Bonus: ✸ One point can be earned for reading three or more books in a series. This is my third book from the Big Bad Wolf series completed for this challenge. See messages 36 and 185 for the other two.
Review: I LOVE this series - and I’m so afraid it’s over. Adhara’s next book (and it appears, the start of a new series) is about a character important to Cooper and Oliver - Eli. I like Eli’s character and will enjoy learning more about him, but I’m going to miss Coop and Oliver being the main focus. The door was definitely left open for more books about Cooper and Oliver - I hope Adhara chooses to write more. At any rate, I’ll be picking up the next book when it’s published in August. That seems so far away…..
Truitt_T wrote: "Completion Post Week 7Roll 14 - Spot 53
Book: Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara
Pages: 269 per GR
How It Fits: This book is #5 in the Big Bad Wolf series.
Completed: 0..."
I hate when a great series comes to a potential end. That happened with my favorite crime series, the Harriet Blue series by James Patterson. I am still mourning a bit lol
D.L. wrote: "Truitt_T wrote: "Completion Post Week 7Roll 14 - Spot 53
Book: Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara
Pages: 269 per GR
How It Fits: This book is #5 in the Big Bad Wolf seri..."
So many series drag on far beyond the point at which the author should just gracefully let their characters be happy and have some peace (or kill them off, as appropriate), that I hate to see a series I still find fresh and fun and interesting end. I'm not sure it's over - there really were more than a few ends left loose in Cry Wolf - but at least I know there's another book coming in the same world with related characters.
I've got another book 5 reay to go since no matter what tonight's roll is, we'll still be in the 50s. I have another challenge finishing up that's limited my reading to the MM genre - as of next week, I'll be able to branch out, which is fortunate. I'm scrambling a bit for books 6 and up.
SELECTION POSTWeek 7;Roll 14;Spot 53
Book: Love Story by Lauren Layne
Pages: 232
How it Fits: Love Unexpectedly #3
SELECTION POSTWeek 7;Roll 14;Spot 53
Book: Love Story by Lauren Layne
Pages: 232
How it Fits: Love Unexpectedly #3
Completed: 10/03/2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Bonus: none
Review:
I needed a change from all the mystery and urban fantasy I'd been reading so I felt a little romance wouldn't hurt. This is the love story of Lucy and Reece. Reece was Lucy childhood sweetheart who then breaks her heart because of course, he feels she shouldn't be with a man like him. A road trip forces both of them to share a ride. The road trip was accompanied with a number of events that bring them back together.
I'm honestly not a very big fan of the romance genre but it made for an 'okay' read.
Week 7, Sunday Reviews Tracking ThreadD.L. - msg. 205
Olawuyi - msg. 211
Shelby - msg. 214
Truitt_T - msg. 206 <-- Bonus pt. for reading three or more books in a series
SELECTION POSTWeek 7 - Roll 14
Spot 53
Book: Mack's Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure
Pages: 230
How it Fits: #3 in Mack's Marvelous Manifestations
Week 7 - Roll 14Spot 53
Mack's Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure by A.J. Sherwood
How Fits: #4 in Mack's Marvelous Manifestations
Read: (3/10)
Rating: ★★★★★
I think this is my favorite book in the series so far. I just love Mack and Brandon! I love the quirky/spooky adventures that they get sent on working for the FBI's paranormal unit. This time around they've got an inn full of ghosts for Mack to deal with and some sort of big bad scaring all the ghosts into fleeing.
Eli and her men are back again and know they're facing something huge so immediately call for Mack and Brandon. When these five get together things are sure to be a good time. I liked their interactions so much, and the Scottish team they joined to help were nice as well. There's a certain Highland warrior type that I certainly hope we see more of. ;)
All together these books just make me happy. I smile while I read them and enjoy a little bit of spooky with some wonderfully sweet guys. Their relationship is still new, but they're adorable in their support for each other. I loved seeing Brandon work to ease Mack's monetary fears. Gah! They're just too cute and yet can still kick butt with the best of them.
I rolled a 2, everyone. That puts us at Spot 55 which doesn't give us very many reading options. Are you all okay with that or do you want to use one of our bonus points to move us ahead to 56? Sorry for the low roll.
No apologies required! I’m fine with 55.
Truitt_T wrote: "No apologies required! I’m fine with 55."I'm fine with 55 too. I'll give our teammates an hour or so to reply either way and then I'll check us in :) TY for responding.
Okay we'll stick with Spot 55 after all. This means you can read:- A Series #5
- A series #55
- ALT: Fantasy
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Selection Post Week 8?Spot 55
Book: You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan
Pages: 255 per GR
How It Fits: It's the 5th book in the Auckland Med series.
SELECTION POSTWeek 8 - Roll 15
Spot 55
Book: Healing Aiden
Pages: 261
How it Fits: #5 in Lords of Discord
Week 8 - Roll 15Spot 55
Healing Aiden by Jocelynn Drake
How Fits: #5 in Lords of Discord
Read: (3/11)
Rating: ★★★★★
This was ridiculously satisfying. Aiden needed to have his story told and while the amount of time that has passed since he last saw Ronan is a little unbelievable I didn't care. These two deserved to find each other again and find a way to finally get all the things they never had a chance to discover with each other.
I enjoyed seeing all of his boys giving Aiden a hard time. They do so enjoy teasing each other and him. I loved how Ronan just fit in with them all. He had to prove that his loyalty was always going to be to Aiden not to the European Ministry.
In the end this story nicely rounds out all of this families lives. They all get to move into their HEA and the reality is no one is likely to mess with them for quite awhile now that Aiden's revealed a little bit more of who he is. ;) I would love to spend more time with these guys, but at the same time I'm happy for where they all are at.
There were storms and high winds in my area last night and through most of today. Sadly, my internet service got knocked out this morning and there’s still no ETA on when it will be fixed.Since I’ve got a selection post with the correct links above, I’m going to do a no links completion post.
Hopefully, that will be acceptable. If not, I can get it posted correctly when the service is restored or early tomorrow afternoon, whichever comes first.
Sorry!
Selection Post Week 8?Spot 55
Book: You Are Cordially Invited by Jay Hogan
Pages: 255 per GR
How It Fits: It's the 5th book in the Auckland Med series.
Completed: 3/12/2022
Rating: 4 stars
Review: Cam and Rueben were my favorite couple in this series, so it was lovely to revisit them. Wedding and general life craziness abound, but Cam remains his fabulous self. While this is supposed to be the final book, the author admits that two more books are possible; the setup for two more was definitely in place.
Edited to correct format.
Truitt_T wrote: "There were storms and high winds in my area last night and through most of today. Sadly, my internet service got knocked out this morning and there’s still no ETA on when it will be fixed.Since I..."
This should be fine, I think. Stay safe in the eye of the storm.
Completion PostWeek 8, Roll 15, Spot 55
Book: Murder Gets a Life by Anne George
Date Read: 3/12/22
How It Fits: #5 in the Southern Sisters series
Rating: 3 stars
Review: This was my first time reading a book in the Southern Sisters series and I enjoyed it. I was surprised by both the whodunnit and the motive for the murder. There was a good bit of humor in the book, and it made me wish my sister and I grew up together the way Patricia Ann and Mary Alice did so we could be close and have a bunch of fun adventures together. This was a nice, easy read, although I feel zero urgency to tackle the rest of the series at this time.
Week 8, Thursday Reviews Tracking ThreadD.L. - msg. 226
Olawuyi - msg. 229
Shelby - msg. 222
Truitt_T - msg. 224
SELECTION POSTWeek 8;Roll 15;Spot 55
Book: Death Masks by Jim Butcher
Pages: 432
How it Fits: The Dresden Files #5
COMPLETION POSTWeek 8;Roll 15;Spot 55
Book: Death Masks by Jim Butcher
Pages: 432
How it Fits: The Dresden Files #5
Completed: 13/03/2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Bonus: none
Review:
This is the fifth book of the Dresden Files series featuring Harry Dresden. This book opens up with Harry being challenged to a duel by Duke Ortega, the Red Court’s top vampire warlord, under the guise of ending the war between the Red Court vampires and the wizard’s White Council. From there we see Harry being commissioned to recover the Shroud of Turin, stolen from Italy but rumoured to be in Chicago, while corpses start to turn up in the city. For some reason, it feels like the series is starting to bore me. Hopefully I'll be able to weather through it...or at least 9 of the books in it.
We rolled a five putting us at Spot 60. This means you can read:- A standalone
- A series #6
- A series #60
- ALT: Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
Have a great week everybody!
This may be the roll for a standalone for me, too. I've got another challenge starting, so I won't make my pick until I've figured that one out.
-Went with a different book after all-Completion Post
Week 8, Roll 16, Spot 60
Book: The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
Date Read: 3/14/22
How It Fits: Standalone
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This is the second book I have read by Pam Kehret and I much preferred it to the first one I tried (Stolen Children). This middle grade read was fun, imaginative, a touch spooky, and full of adventure. I liked the character of Josh and I really liked his eccentric Auntie. The friendly ghost Willie was none too shabby either. In fact, he was quite a good 'un. I think any young reader would enjoy this fast, easy read. I am definitely not its target audience and I sure did!
I didn't realize I'd never made a selection post - sorry!Completion Post
Week 8, Roll 16
Spot 60
Book: Noble Intentions by Andrew Grey
Pages: 182 per GR
How It Fits: It's a standalone.
Completed: 3/14/2022
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Three stars may be too high. There were moments when I was enjoying what I was reading, but they were outnumbered by moments when I was baffled (and often annoyed) by the choices made by and the inconsistent behavior of many of the characters. Andrew Grey's novels are hit or miss for me. Of late, the misses are making me more reluctant to look for the hits.
Truitt_T wrote: "I didn't realize I'd never made a selection post - sorry!No worries. They're not mandatory. :)
Week 8, Sunday Reviews Tracking ThreadD.L. - msg. 233
Olawuyi - msg. 238
Shelby - msg. 243
Truitt_T - msg. 234
SELECTION POSTWeek 8;Roll 16;Spot 60
Book: The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Pages: 311
How it Fits: Standalone
SELECTION POSTWeek 8;Roll 16;Spot 60
Book: The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Pages: 311
How it Fits: Standalone
Completed: 16/03/2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bonus: none
Review:
Judge. Jury. Executioner
Lily Kintner, a beautiful young woman who wants to help Ted Severson get rid of his cheating wife. There's a twist of faith as Ted gets murdered instead.
This book is my favourite book so far this year. I love it so so much. The suspense, the thrill... Peter took me on a journey and I could not drop this book till the very end. A beautiful beautiful book.
Kudos to our Captain! I wasn't particularly fond of the book I originally read for this spot, so I decided to substitute another. What I missed was that it in no way qualified for spot 60 (in my defense, it would have worked for my SS team, had I needed a second book).Fortunately, our fearless leader noticed my error and contacted me - I've gone back to my original book.
I can't wait to see what we roll next!
Ok. I am so weirded out. I swear I just changed my book completion post above - but it's still the old book. Let me try that again.....ETA: Fixed, but that really was odd.
Truitt_T wrote: "Ok. I am so weirded out. I swear I just changed my book completion post above - but it's still the old book. Let me try that again.....ETA: Fixed, but that really was odd."
That is really odd. Glad it got fixed though. :)
Week 8 - Roll 16Spot 60
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
How Fits: Stand Alone
Read: (3/17)
Rating: ★★★★
This was an interesting way to tell a story. I enjoyed the book within the book as Eve tells her story of surviving the Nothing Man's attack. Alternating with Jim Doyle's perspective as he discovers that someone is bringing everything back up again kept things fresh and interesting. I enjoyed his thoughts as he read what she said about him.
This was an interesting take on a serial killer story. We know from the beginning who the killer is, but how everything is going to unwind is the whole point of the story. I wasn't surprised by the ending really, I figured that was where this was building to, but I was entertained throughout.
The author tells a really well-crafted story and has a really lovely flow to her writing. This is my first book by this author and I would definitely look to read another.
We rolled a six! This places us at Spot 66, friends!! This gives us less reading options so it means we can read:- A series #6
- A series #66
- ALT: Author 'R'
Have a great reading weekend, friends!!
Nice roll!At first I was thinking I was in trouble now - I have several series that end at the 5th - but a little digging has turned up a few more. It also help that another challenge has ended, and I'm not just reading MM.
I hope everyone finds a great book!
Yes, 66 is a hard one. If we ever get to a point where a certain number is too difficult to find books for, we can definitely use our bonus points to skip ahead a bit. We have 4 of them already.
Week 9 - Roll 17Spot 66
Jacked Up by Erin McCarthy
How Fits: #6 in Fast Track
Read: (3/18)
Rating: ★★★
I struggled a little bit with this one. I never really felt like Eve and Nolan gelled as much as I would have liked. I liked both of them individually, and do think that they make a good couple, but everything was so rocky with their relationship throughout. I felt like I just needed more time for them to figure things out together. Instead this relationship went from 0 to 60 and didn't stop to take into account anything about either of them. Even the "trouble" spot they went through was smoothed out with minimal fuss and very little communication or change between them. I wanted to see them really work through things together.
Still I liked both characters and I want them to find their HEA. I just didn't feel like they'd totally found it by the time the story ended. I felt like it was just a potential possibility. They needed time to smooth out their rough edges together. Plus I really wanted to see Eve get back behind the wheel. Hopefully that will happen in one of the last two novels. I want to really see her drive and be happy.
Selection Post Week 9 - Roll 17
Spot 66
Book: The Phoenix Illusion by Lisa Shearin
Pages: 280 per GR
How It Fits: This is the 6th book in the SPI Files series.
So when exactly do we use our Bonus rolls? What's the strategy?And I had to laugh - not only did we end up at 66, my SS team ended up on 77.
The Challenge Factory
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Shelby - are you going to roll?