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R13: SS Team 2 - C-JA(A)BS
Selection Post Week 8 -Spot: 63
Wild Bear by Terry Bolryder
Pages: 134
How it fits: #3 in the Bear Haven series
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1626...
Finished: 3/15/22
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: What an improvement over book 2. I loved it.
The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: Maverick's book was so good. He was more animal than human and preferred to live in his bear form out in the woods rather than as a man with clothing restraints. His background explains why this is and his character is actually deeper than every other character I've read by Terry Bolryder thus far. He's really pretty charming in his own way and even though he doesn't try to be funny he is. His entire thought process is innocent as an animal's would be without the devious intentions that unfortunately are found in many humans. As a matter of fact he often refers to others as human and doesn't consider himself even part human. Harmony is his complete opposite and I liked how she appreciated him for who he was and didn't expect him to change. He did a lot of growing up in this book and I absolutely loved him.
The romance felt quick but when you factor in the H and h met months ago it wasn't as insta-lovey as the first two books in this series. Although it did wrap itself in an almost fated mate type of situation I wasn't unhappy with it. Mav was a bear. He thought as a bear. In his mind he gave himself to Harmony as her mate and she was his. The End. As an animal it was simple. Humans make things more complicated and he honestly didn't know if he was capable of being human enough to actually love Harmony as a human loves their partner.
There was conflict, a bit of suspense, epiphanies, and a big bear of a man who finally figured out humans sometimes need the help of other humans.
In a Nutshell: My very favorite book by Terry Bolryder so far. I loved this book.
Completion Post ~ Week 8Spot: 63
Task: Read 6th book in a series
Book: White Trash Zombie Unchained
Author: Diana Rowland
Finished: 3/17/22
How it fits: #6 in the White Trash Zombie series
Rating: ****
I think this will be the last book in the series (at least no other books after this one since 2017 so I'm treating this as the last).
For a finale, it was great. all the loose ends from other books were completed and Angel's growth throughout the series shows that people can do whatever they want to accomplish (I know now always true, but it's a lovely thought). Cristi Charish made a comeback but the zombie alligators stole the show.
Week #8 - Roll #8Spot: 63
Book Read: Blueberry Muffin Murder | Joanne Fluke
Date Read: 17-Mar-2022
How it Fits: Hannah Swensen #3
Rating: ★★★
Review
These books always make me hungry and this one certainly made me take my baking seriously. And this series tends to tick all those other cozy mystery boxes rather well. Sweet little cozy town, plethora of characters who are just the right amount of real and cinematic, a main lead who has a cute little business which the author ensures is exciting and informative for the readers, and then the MC being the amateur sleuth solving all the murders happening around her. Not to forget a love angle (or triangle as is the case here) that keeps the readers wanting to know more and care more. And ofcourse there is that one pet which can easily win the "pet of the year" award.
Unfortunately everything else falls into known, experienced territories and coasts along at the same speed throughout. None of which is a good or a bad thing. The central mystery here is decent and I somehow wanted to know how it unfolded a little more than the last book and I would consider that as a victory in this context.
Week 9 - Roll 9
Number Rolled: 6+3 = 9
Post Your Roll - Post
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Spot: 72
Book Choice:
Read 2nd book in a seriesAlternate Choice:
Read 7th book in a series
Read 72nd book in a series
Read a book under the genre "romance"Note the bonus points!
-----------------------------------------
Books Read (Alphabetically)
✔ AnnMarie | Murphy's Law | Havenwood #2 | Review | 24-Mar-2022
✔ Apoorv | Flash Fire | The Extraordinaries #2 | Review | 25-Mar-2022
✔ BarbaraAnn | Rescued by their Wife | Wings of Artemis #2 | Review | 25-Mar-2022
✔ Christina | Sapphire Dragon | Awakened Dragons #2 | Review | 21-Mar-2022
✔ Jennifer | Peachy Scream | Georgia B&B Mysteries #2 | Review | 19-Mar-2022
✔ Shan ~A~ | Absolving His Sins | Trident Security #7 | Review | 25-Mar-2022
I'm going to read Redeeming Rafe by Sloane Kennedy#2 in the Baretti Security Series and is part of a short series that may work for the start and end a series bonus point
I'll read Murphy's Law and if we get a 1 then that will be that last bonus point for start & end a series :)
I'm not sure what I'll read just yet. I have a shorter Terry Bolryder book I can squeeze in before I leave on vacation. Sorry all, I forgot to mention I'm going out of town on Wednesday and might not have access to a computer for posting. I'll try and get the book and my Completion Post done before Wednesday but if I can't would anyone mind if I take a pass this week? That would only be if I can't get my post in by Friday. If everyone is done and I haven't posted and it's Friday and you're wanting to roll then pass me. Make sense?
Fine with me if no one else minds, Christina.
Christina T wrote: "I'm not sure what I'll read just yet. I have a shorter Terry Bolryder book I can squeeze in before I leave on vacation. Sorry all, I forgot to mention I'm going out of town on Wednesday and might n..."No issues with it.
Christina T wrote: "I'm not sure what I'll read just yet. I have a shorter Terry Bolryder book I can squeeze in before I leave on vacation. Sorry all, I forgot to mention I'm going out of town on Wednesday and might n..."That works for me as well, Christina, if you couldn't get to your book before the end of Friday. We are maybe 3-4 weeks out from the end of the challenge, so hopefully we don't need the Free Pass anymore and can use it this time around if need be!
Christina, the pass is yours if needed. I hope you have a marvelous time on vacay.
Thanks everyone. I don't think I'll have trouble reading the book in the next few days but I just wanted something to fall back on if I can't. I now realize I should have messaged Denise before we rolled but I honestly thought I'd mentioned it already but now realize I did so in the other game I'm playing and not this one. Sorry about that. It's funny that I'm also playing a cozy mystery bingo game and I'm getting the two groups a bit confused because I've read one of Bailey Cates' Magical Mystery books for that group and one or two of my team members did as well and here as too. Also, several cozy mysteries have been reviewed for this challenge and to tell the truth I tend to be alone in my cozy interest except in the Cozy Bingo group. Honestly it nice to see so many popping up. I think they get a bad rap.
I read a couple hundred cozies a year, Christina, You are definitely not alone! (Back to
....)
Read: Peachy Scream
Anna Gerard
Read: 3/19/2022
Fits: #2 in Georgia B&B mysteries
Review:
Nina (pronounced NINE-a, thank you very much) is once again paired in a plot with Harry, the relative of her B&B's former owner, who believed he was going to inherit the house Nina bought and turned into a B&B. And he still believes that. However, as in the first book, the two of them have bigger problems and must join forces to solve them, temporarily laying aside their disagreements.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that a place called Cymbeline would have a Shakespeare festival. Harry, who is an actor when he's not a litigant, is directing the festival's production of Hamlet. The troupe is staying at Nina's, and before they can even get a dress rehearsal in, a cast member turns up dead. Harry must protect his production (the festival will fail unless there's a play performance) and Nina must protect her business (because who wants to stay at a B&B where people are dying all the time?) so the two must collaborate to solve the murder.
The "B&B" or guest-house setting for cozy mysteries is pretty effective because it allows the writer to both have a circle of familiar characters to provide continuity, ongoing plot points, and character development while still providing a fresh set of suspects and victims for each book. Gerard capitalizes on it well in this second outing in this series.
So far no romance in the series, although it's certainly hinted at between Harry and Nina. Also, I don't know if this series continues past #3 - I'm not seeing a fourth one advertised/planned/listed/hinted at anywhere. I'll be reading #3 to see if it winds up all the plot points or leaves the door open for a fourth.
I finished my book this morning, will post a review later tonight.
This week has been nuts. I'll finish my book at work tomorrow, and post the review as soon as I make it to the house tomorrow evening.
Week #8 Spot #72
Murphy's Law by Riley Hart
Qualification: #2 in Havenwood series
Finished: 3/24
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: So I am reading this series out of order which hasn't been much pf a problem so far. I enjoyed this story much better than book 4. It wa a sweet story, I liked the MCs especially Remi. Narration was great, will definitely listen to book 1 to finish the series soon lol
Week #8Spot #72
Sapphire Dragon by Terry Bolryder
How it fits: #2 in Awakened Dragons series
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1864...
Finished: 3/21
Rating: 3.5
Review: I liked this book more than I did the first book in the series and it all had to do with the characters. Or rather character...Lucien the Sapphire Dragon. He was a dragon who knew humans were not insignificant like his brethren thought. He helped them, healed them, made it rain so their crops could grow, and in the end he witnessed the worst in humanity and it broke him. He did something he felt could not be forgiven.
Now over hundreds of years later he has been awakened from his sleep and needs to learn humans are still worthy and so is he.
While I really enjoyed Luc's character I thought Hallie was a little too Pollyanna. This was needed to balance Luc's doom and gloom attitude but for me she was a bit much. Honestly, this book isn't was that much different than the first. Slightly different characters but the same bad guys and the same idea that the dragons need to get mated in order to get their full powers back. I liked it anyway.
The books are all too short and too many smexy parts taking up what I feel is important page space that could be used to do me world building and more background on the characters. Especially on Hallie's. But I liked this book anyway. It made me laugh and I loved Luc a lot. Until I get tired of the formula these books follow I'm going to keep reading.
Week #8 Spot #72Rescued by their Wife by Rebecca Royce
How it fits: #2 in Wings of Artemis series
Finished: 3/25
Rating: 4
Review: This was a good continuation of the story from the first book. Her husbands were kidnapped by her mother (truly crazy lady). We also met Mel's father and between her two parents, it's easy to see where Melissa got her crazy ideas.
Week #9 - Roll #9Spot: 72
Book Read: Flash Fire | T.J. Klune
Date Read: 25-Mar-2022
How it Fits: The Extraordinaries #2
Rating: ★★★
Review
TJ Klune is easily one of my all time favourite authors. There is something so intrinsically heartening in their writing that it makes me want to go back and read more of TJ's work. And I have practically loved each of TJ's books - except the first of this series, which was merely okay for me. Unfortunately, the trend continues here.
I won't say the book (or the series) is bad - it rather has all the elements you come to expect from a TJ Klune book. Its irreverently funny, talks about important aspects related to sexuality and sexual identity, tugs at your heart strings, has wonderful side characters etc. But yet, it feels like this series never quite takes off. Everything is present, but in a dimmed, mild, unappealing way. Or maybe my expectations from TJ's books are sky-high and it was an unfair expectation from this book. But I wished the story, characters, situations stayed with him long after I closed the book, just like they did in all the previous books.
But, I would still heartily recommend this to anyone who hasn't had a TJ Klune in their life - with a caveat that there is more wonderful stuff to be explored in TJ's oeuvre.
Shan ~A~, when you get your review in, feel free to roll for next week if you want to. I can do all the completion posts later in the evening.
Completion Post ~ Week 8Spot: 72
Task: Read 7th book in a series
Book: Absolving His Sins
Author: Samantha A. Cole
Finished: 03/25
How it fits: 7th in the Trident Security series
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I've been looking forward to Carter's been since the beginning of this series. He's been the mysterious badass who's been saving the Trident Security guys asses since day 1.
Once we met Jordyn and realized that she is the perfect woman for a man such as Carter, and that made me even more impatient for their story.
Alas, Jordyn pissed me off with her stupidity. Thinking this man is an abuser after finding out that he was a member of a bdsm club made her less than in my eyes. I get that her past was what it was, but she could have done the research that Carter eventually had her do to get a better understanding of what it was she was condemning.
In my opinion, the author should have gave her another reason for distancing herself from Carter, because that was weak. This woman, who is a badass assassin, doesn't have enough sense not to form a judgement without all information???
Anyway, regardless of that this series keeps getting more intriguing with the suspense aspects. Plus, we still get to visit the other Trident men and women, as well as meet new characters (who I assume will have or already have books of their own).
Rolled: 9Spot: 81
Alternate
81. Title 'P'
Week 10 - Roll 10
Number Rolled: 9
Post Your Roll - Post
----------------------------------------
Spot: 81
Book Choice:
Alternate Choice:
Read a standalone book
Read 1st book in a series
Read 8th book in a series
Read a book with a title "P"Note the bonus points!
-----------------------------------------
Books Read (Alphabetically)
✔ AnnMarie | Giving Chase | Havenwood #1 | Review | 29-Mar-2022 ✱
✔ Apoorv | Best Day Ever | Standalone | Review | 31-Mar-2022
✔ BarbaraAnn | Mercury Striking | Scorpius Syndrome #1 | Review | 31-Mar-2022
✔ Christina | Death Bee Comes Her | An Oregon Honeycomb Mystery #1 | Review | 30-Mar-2022
✔ Jennifer | The Vineyard Victims | Wine Country Mysteries #8 | Review | 26-Mar-2022
✔ Shan ~A~ | The Spanish Love Deception | Standalone | Review | 01-Apr-2022
✱ Bonus: Read all published books in a series.:
AnnMarie - Series: Havenwood #1, #2, #3, #4
Read: The Vineyard Victims
Ellen Crosby
Read 3/26
How it fits: #8 in Wine Country Mysteries
In the opening of this book, a recent presidential candidate winds up dead in a horrific car crash in front of Lucie, coincidentally in the same place where a significant incident from her past occurred. What looks like a simple albeit tragic situation pretty immediately starts smelling like something else. Throughout the story, the victim's past and present are intertwined even as Lucie's past and present intertwine, as people from the more painful parts of her past turn out to have a role in the current situation. Cover-ups, frauds and injustices are revealed detail by detail, with the overriding question being "if your entire life were built on a lie, what would happen when you finally had to confront that?"
I have to say the relationship between Lucie and Quinn is one of my favorites in mystery series. Quinn is such an eminently decent, grounded, and clear-sighted person.
The wine takes a back seat to the interpersonal relationships in this volume, but hey, every now and then a bottle has to be corked without the drama being inside it, right?
Since AnnMarie's book works for the start & finish a series bonus, I'm going to go with The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas which is a standalone (for 1)
BarbaraAnn wrote: "I'm going to read Mercury Striking. #1 in the Scorpius Syndrome by Rebecca Zanetti"BarbaraAnn I've had this book in my TBR forever (ok a couple of years). I'm looking forward to reading your review.
Week #9 Spot #81
Giving Chase by Riley Hart
Qualification: #1 in Havenwood series
Finished: 3/29
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: So I read the first book in the series last and I liked it well enough. I think I may have enjoyed Griff's book better had I read this one first but honestly not a ton more. The main characters were good together but there was a lot going on with family issues and dead/absent parents in the book. I did enjoy it and the series was overall good, easy reads. The narration of all was excellent, definitely recommend the audio if you do decide to read this.
✸ One point can be earned for starting and finishing a series. There must be at least 4 books in that series. Series + spin-off totalling ≥4 books also counts. For series with >9 books, point will be awarded for reading books 1-9. For still ongoing series, all books published to date (OR up to #9 in longer series) must be read.~ No re-reads on this one.
I read the following books in the Havenwood series for the first time:
- week 5
- week 6
- week 8
- week 9
Week 10 Week 10 - Roll 10
Number Rolled: 9
Spot: 81
Book: Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco
Pages: 320 pages
Finished 3/30/22
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: This is the first book in a fairly new cozy mystery series featuring a retail store owner who sells bee biproducts like lotions, candles, lip balm, etc. She has a young beehive outside her shop and will eventually use the honey those bees produce in her products. I thought the bee information was really interesting but honestly the whodunnit wasn't great. It felt a little convoluted with multiple killers and Wren, the MC, turned out to do some really stupid things sinking her into the TSTL category. Here's the thing.,,,if you're being set up to take the fall for multiple murders and your high-powered lawyer (who took your case pro-bono) tells you to have someone around 24/7 because he doesn't want you to seem guiltier than what you already seem, you should probably listen to him. Instead, our MC decides after less than 24 hours she just needs time alone and walks to the bank by herself. If that weren't bad enough, she also snuck out of her apartment where she had 2 cops watching her so she could go see if she were right about the place where the actually killer may be.
I hate women who turn TSTL in my books. It brought my rating down but I'll read the next book in the series.
Week 10 - Roll 10Number Rolled: 9
Spot: 81
Book read: Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti finished 4/1/22 ****
review:
As a general rule, I'm not a fan of apocalyptic stories. Despite that, I really liked this book and plan to continue with the series. The basic story starts after a pandemic was in full swing. The virus turned the afflicted people to vicious killers. The story revolved around Lynne who was looking for a cure to the virus and also was the person held responsible for creating the virus. She found Jax Mercury, an ex-soldier who had set up a compound to keep his people safe.
I'll be interested in reading the next book in the series.
Week #10 - Roll #10Spot: 81
Book Read: Best Day Ever | Kaira Rouda
Date Read: 31-Mar-2022
How it Fits: Standalone
Rating: ★★★★
Review
Unconventional and engaging. I was rapt with the proceedings and wanted to know more. The author narrates it entirely from the perspective of the very-bad guy, Paul. Paul is the epitome of narcissist syndrome and sociopathy: he sees himself as superior in every way, he disregards the opinions and feelings of others, he has no empathy and no concern for fair-play, honesty, or any other social or legal constraint as applied to him.
The conventionality of thrillers is broken here as we get the story told from the attackers perspective, not the victim. The problem with that is that there is a lack of tension. Paul is always reassuring us that he is in charge, things are going great, this is, indeed, the best day ever. We see hints of problems, but they don't create much tension. It most definitely is a wonderful thriller but things just end up getting tied up rather perfectly with a bow, something that doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense given the Paul we get to see.
Shan ~A~, feel free to roll for next week once you post your review for this week! We are so close. Eeks! :)
Completion Post ~ Week 10Spot: 81
Task: Read a standalone book
Book: The Spanish Love Deception
Author: Elena Armas
Finished: 04/01
How it fits: Standalone
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I actually had mixed feelings about the characters of this book.
Catalina is in need of a fake boyfriend for her sister's wedding, since she lied and told her mother that she was dating someone after finding out her ex (the groom's brother) was going to be there with his fiancée. Aaron overhears the conversation and volunteers his services.
The thing is Aaron and Catalina are bitter enemies at work, so she objects wholeheartedly. The thing is there is a very thin line between love and hate.
I think this book would have benefited it had been dual pov, because just seeing Aaron in the beginning from Lina's pov made it hard for me to warm up to him. I suspected some things that made me not completely dislike him, but it wasn't easy getting past what Lina thought of him since that's all I got.
By the time it got to the trip to Spain, my thoughts were made clear, and we finally get the details of what makes Lina so leery of relationships. That's when the book got good for me. Seeing them open up to one another, learning more about the both of them because they finally started communicating honestly with each other.
Rolled: 6Spot: 87
Alternate: 87. Title 'R'
Week 11 - Roll 11
Number Rolled: 6
Post Your Roll - Post
----------------------------------------
Spot: 87
Book Choice:
Alternate Choice:
Read 7th book in a series
Read 8th book in a series
Read a book with a title "R"Note the bonus points!
-----------------------------------------
Books Read (Alphabetically)
✔ AnnMarie | Peregrine | Forbidden Desires #7 | Review | 04-Apr-2022
✔ Apoorv | Smoke & Mirrors | THIRDS #7 | Review | 07-Apr-2022
✔ BarbaraAnn | Callahan's Legacy | Callahan's #7 | Review | 08-Apr-2022
✔ Christina | Up from the Grave | Night Huntress #7 | Review | 05-Apr-2022
✔ Jennifer | To the Tome of Murder | Beyond the Page Bookstore #7 | Review | 02-Apr-2022
✔ Shan ~A~ | Wild Hunger | The Phoenix Pack #7 | Review | 04-Apr-2022
OH I LOVE CALLAHAN! I haven't heard anyone mention it in years!!!
Read To the Tome of Murder
Lauren Elliott
Read 4/2
How it fits: #7 in Beyond the Page Bookstore
Addie has to solve the murder of her cousin's boyfriend before the cousin gets blamed for the murder. Kalea, the cousin, is Addie's only remaining family, and family figures in many threads in this mystery. Serena and Zach's marriage is the focal point of new families, and the story behind the murder speaks to the theme of old families and lost families. Meanwhile, Addie has to confront her own reservations about family, because of the love she lost and the new love she is hesitant to embrace. Add the provenance of a well-known nursery rhyme (and what do nursery rhymes evoke if not families?) and you have a theme-rich mystery. There's a family gathering at the end for Thanksgiving that is replete with big announcements from many of the attendees -- plenty to build the next books in the series off of. 4 stars.
This is one of my all-time favorite series.
BarbaraAnn wrote: "This is one of my all-time favorite series."Agreed. His description of meeting the naked woman on the roof in one of them is absolutely PRICELESS. It's a shame he has largely stopped writing although I completely understand why.
Week #10 Spot #87
Peregrine by Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly
Qualification: #7 in Forbidden Desires series
Finished: 4/4
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: This is one of my favorite series and this was a wonderful addition. I adored Sebastian & Perry, those two together were wonderful. I hadn't really warmed up to either previously in the series but reading their history made up for that pretty quickly. There are appearances by most of the Drake brood which was a huge plus for me. The narration was excellent which is no surprise because each book has been thus far. I am very much looking forward to the next (sadly last) book in the series.
Just wondering will we be using the bonus points in this week's roll?
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Lost In Time (other topics)Love, Chocolate, and Beer (other topics)
The Dilemma (other topics)
Callahan's Legacy (other topics)
Callahan's Legacy (other topics)
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A.L. Lester (other topics)Violet Duke (other topics)
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Spot: 63
Task: Read 6th book in a series
Book: Tickle His Fancy
Author: Samantha A. Cole
Finished: 03/17
How it fits: 6th in the Trident Security series
Rating: 3 stars
Review: The romance was okay, but what really had me on the edge of my seat were there the two mysteries. One involving Fancy. Her place of business and other things that belong to her continue to be vandalized and Brody spends his personal time trying to beef up her security to figure out who's the culprit.
For this one, I actually picked the correct offender, but then something was thrown in to make me doubt, so I was unsure. Even though my initial guess was correct, I never would have guessed everything he did, but I did get the why correct.
The other mystery was not solved, and I feel like it could be a subplot that goes on for several books (I loved this). Submissives are being taken and possibly killed, and no one (including me, lol) knows who's guilty. I have one strong contender in mind (meaning that I also had a couple of other's in mind that were incorrect), but it doesn't make sense that it's actually who I'm thinking, so that will probably come to nothing.
Kudos to Samantha for changing the game.