R11: Team #6 ~Hex Nuts~

[Daffodil]

Off to request our next stamp!

Shelf 5: I5 - Shifter: 4/4
Stamp Received: Requested 3-25-15
Daffodil Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Kresley Cole, 3-22-15, 3 stars, Review
Dragana On the Edge, Ilona Andrews, 3-20-15, 4.5 stars, Review
Nichole Deadlocked, Charlaine Harris, 3-19-15 4 stars, Review
Rachel Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews, 3-21-15, 5 stars, Review

[Daffodil]

New shelf called:

S if for ... read a book by an author whose first or last name begins with S.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Hex Nuts!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'shifter'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Nichole]

Woohoo!!

[Nichole]

I think I'll be reading for S. I'm pretty sure. Most likely...

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Hexie Nuts!

[Daffodil]

Thanks Steph & Sandra!

I'm really tempted to go buy the next October Daye novel: .

But I have:

[Nichole]

I love the October Daye series. It's an auto-buy for me :) I've had The Shadow Reader on my radar for a while now. I just need to read faster so I can get through all the books I want!

[Daffodil]

I know. Way too many untouched books on my TBR and I'm in the middle of rereading Nalini Singh's series in anticipation of the release in June. There's so much Psy & Changeling goodness there, so I don't regret it.

[Dragana]

I'm going to read by Megan Shepherd.

I have read The Shadow Reader and it's pretty solid uf. I think I gave it 4 stars.

[Rachel-RN]

I' going to give Inked Magic by Jory Strong a try.

[Daffodil]

I just picked up from the library, so I'll be reading that for the S shelf.

[Rachel-RN]

I'm having difficulty getting into my choice. by Sariah Wilson is my back-up. I forgot I had won this one. That's the problem with too many books- I forget what I have;-)

[Nichole]

Shelf: S is for..
Book: Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Date Read: 3/27/15
Rating: 3.5 stars

Zarek is being hunted. After barely escaping with his life but severely injured, he ends up at the cabin of a blind woman and her 'pet' wolf. Only she is not what she seems. Astrid is sent to judge Zarek and she has never judged a man innocent. She is temporarily blinded so that she can see through to the man inside. He has never been loved or shown kindness, he's been shunned, beaten, betrayed and only knows pain. She tests him and pushes him and discovers that Zarek is a very lonely man that has been hurt so severely by everyone in his life that he hides behind his anger.

I enjoyed this book but it was pretty sad. You just felt so bad for Zarek! The thing is, I often forget about this series. I like them while I'm reading them and then poof it's all gone. It has no lasting power for me.

[Rachel-RN]

Shelf: S is for.....
by Sariah Wilson
March 29th 3*

I'm sucker for re-told fairy-tales. When I first started, it was hard to tell where this one would go. It got better. A few different word choices here and there. Both Kat and Nico and the secondary characters are all likeable. Kat had a horrible childhood. She overcame that was about to graduate with a masters in social work. Based on that, there are a few things that Kat says and does that I felt were out of character for her. (For example, she makes a joke about domestic violence).
Tropes abound: William, Kate, and George make an appearance. (Whoops- I mean Alexander, Caitlin, and James). Poor girl, rich boy (who is also royalty), rich best friend, virgin heroine, mean ex-girlfriend.
It also worth noting that Kat DOES finish her thesis and graduates! It could easily have gone in a different direction from that.
Recommended for those that like sweet stories with no sex, kissing only.

[Daffodil]

I got sidelined this weekend with . I'll get back to my S book soon, should finish tomorrow.

[Daffodil]

Shelf 7 is up:

Six-pack Attack : Read a book with abs of steel on the cover

I have a lot of possibilities, so I'm going to have to think about this.

[Nichole]

I'm going to whittle away at another series and read

[Dragana]

I've read my book for previous shelf, I'll write a review soon.

I'm going to read: for shelf #7.

[Rachel-RN]

I'll use this opportunity to finish a series:-) Yeah!

[Rachel-RN]

Looking forward to review for ! It's free right now too.

[Nichole]

Rachel- Goodbye Borders wrote: "Looking forward to review for ! It's free right now too."


Me too! Thanks, I nabbed it.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Me as well :)

[Daffodil]

I'll be interesting to see what you think also, Rachel. I wasn't a big fan of King.

I'll be reading which contains two Shifter's unbound novellas previously not available in print version -- they were only electronic or audio.

I have to finish getting a project together for club tomorrow night. cough procrastinator cough. If I finish in time I'll post my S review. If not, it will be tomorrow.

[Dragana]

Haha I grabbed Fate Book as freebie some time ago too. :) So far it's an entertaining quick read. :)

I'm looking forward to your review of Allegiance Sworn Rachel, I've got that book left in series, but I did not like book #2 very much. Still, my compulsion to finish all series is eating at me lol.

[Daffodil]

S is for ...
Through the Zombie Glass, Gena Showalter, 4-1-15
Rating: 5 stars
Review: First, I wanted to mention something for those that have not read the first book in the White Rabbit Chronicles. Rather than being a retelling with zombies a la Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Showalter's first book was a young-adult zombie novel with several nods and references to Alice in Wonderland. You in no way have to be familiar with Carroll's work in order to enjoy it.

Through the Zombie Glass is a great follow up to the first book. Showalter's Zombies are unique to begin with, hungering for souls instead of flesh, but now, due to evil scientist tinkering, they are changing for the worse. And a bite is bringing out Ali's evil side. Struggling to fight the evil scientists, control her inner "demon" and figure out what's going on with Cole, Ali's strength is slowly running out.

Other than the white rabbit references, I didn't notice as many nods to Carroll's world as in the first book. We got to see more of the slayers in action and meet a few new characters, but I wish we'd seen a little bit more of Kat's humor. She made appearances throughout the book, but I think I only read one "True story." during an entertaining "Don't cross Ali" joke session, reminiscent of the numerous Chuck Norris ones that are floating around.

I'll definitely be picking up book 3, originally listed as the final book in the White Rabbit Chronicles. I've since read that a 4th book will be released later this year.

[Daffodil]

Shelf 6: O2 - S is for ... 3/4
Stamp Received: still reading
Daffodil Through the Zombie Glass, Gena Showalter, 4-1-15, 5 stars, Review
Dragana The Cage, Megan Shepherd
Nichole Dance with the Devil, Sherrilyn Kenyon, 3-27-15, 3.5 stars, Review
Rachel Royal Date, Sariah Wilson, 3-29-15, 3 stars, Review


Shelf 7: G2 - Six Pack Attack 0/4
Stamp Received: still reading
Daffodil Shifter Mates, Jennifer Ashley
Dragana Fate Book, Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Nichole Origin, Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rachel Allegiance Sworn, Kylie Griffin

[Nichole]

Shelf: Six-pack Attack
Book: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Date Read: 4/3/15
Rating:★★★★☆

So, I took a break from this series because Katy really got on my nerves in the last book. That tends to happen with me and YA books. I'm happy to say that wasn't the case in this book.

This one starts with Daedalus trying to persuade Katy to cooperate with them. They are presenting themselves as the Knights in shiny armor but Katy isn't buying it. When that doesn't work their true motivations come to the surface and she gets put to the test. Meanwhile, Daemon has surrendered himself to get back to Katy. The horror stories from Beth and Dawson become Daemon and Katy's nightmare. What happens when a hybrid and a Luxen have children? A creepy-freaky Origin, that's what. They're more powerful than their parentage and truly 'other'.

I really enjoyed this book except for the cliffhanger ending-grrrr! It was action-packed, pretty sappy (rolls eyes), and filled with surprises. It makes you question things. With all of the bad guys out there, how will everyone survive?

[Rachel-RN]

Shelf: Six-pack Attack

Done: April 5th 5*


I enjoyed the first book, the second one dragged a bit, but this one? From the get-go it held my attention with multiple things going on. I adored Imhara. She was smart, strong when she needed to be, and gave a little when she needed too. Arek was another strong, enjoyable character. I enjoyed seeing his transformation from angry and bitter to someone loving and trusting. Imhara and Arek's relationship is believable and very well done.
I liked several of the side characters and am curious if they will get their own stories too.
Of note- this is definitely NOT a trilogy even though there are only 3 published books. It looks like these 3 were the only contracted books with a publisher. Book 4 is currently being written and might be self-published; anyway, I signed up for the newsletter so I know when next book will be available. (And I suppose there's a chance it may never be)
Recommended for romantic fantasy fans.

[Dragana]

Shelf: S is for ...
Date read: 27. Mar. 2015.
Rating: 2 stars

The Cage caught my attention with it’s intriguing summary. Here’s what I LIKED:
* An interesting concept. The idea of an alien race who keeps humans on exhibit in a cage sounds like a thought-provoking topic for a novel. It makes you wonder how no one thought about it before (at least I haven’t heard about a book that has this subject).
* Animal rights awareness is what immediately jumped into my mind. We close animals in cages every day. There are excuses like danger of extinction or ‘for their own good’. By twisting roles and putting people in a zoo, Megan Shepherd shows us that being in a cage is not fun.
* Diverse cast of characters. Alien’s habitat for humans is a mix of different environments: desert, jungle, mountains, farm and town. And six humans trapped in the cage are an interesting ethnic mix too. We have Maori, Thai, Northern-European, Americans, …
* Time jumps and POV switches just put more life into the story. Chapters alternate between all prisoner’s and have flashback recollections of the things that happened on Earth, before they were captured.
* Mysteries will keep you guessing. As we learn that aliens are conducting some kind of experiment, we wonder what is their real plan with humans. Are Cora and her friends going mad or are aliens provoking them into dissatisfaction and turning them against each-other?
* So many plot twists! My brains felt the same as theirs, going crazy from all the manipulations. I could never be sure who can be trusted, what is true and what is a lie.

But the details of the story in The Cage really irritated me. There were a lot of specific elements I DIDN’T LIKE:
* Too many POVs made the story stretched out and didn’t help in making me feel like I really knew any of the other characters. Cora was obviously the star of the story. She got more chapters in the book, just like she got more tokens when she solved puzzles in the cage.
* Stockholm syndrome in books rarely works for me. I know it’s proven to exist, but I can’t understand a person who falls for her captor. So, whenever Cora talked about Caspien’s beauty, it was really off-putting to me. He’s an alien for Pete’s sake!
"The metallic sheen to his skin had a way of absorbing the low light so that he almost glowed in the darkness—a man made of starlight. A man from her dreams."
* Love triangle as the main romance. Lucky, the human guy who was in love in Cora, was even worse than the alien. So many wrong motives and delusions… He gave me the creeps.
* There was no escape plan. Cora keeps pestering everyone that they need to escape, but she does not have any plan what they will do when they get out of the habitat. They are somewhere in space, how will they go back to Earth? I could not admire her bravery, because I thought it was suicidal.

As you can see, I really liked the general idea and the setting of The Cage. The list of annoyances seems deceptively small. Those little things that bothered me kept repeating and repeating… I could not really enjoy The Cage, despite the fact that I applauded to the general message and the idea.

I doubt I will continue reading this series. I didn’t like Cora and her way of thinking. I had enough of Cora’s crazy impulsiveness. I might check out other books by Megan Shepherd, since she has a non-pretensions writing style that is easy to read.

IN THE END…
The Cage is a book that will not work for everyone. If you are not bothered by love triangles, Stockholm syndrome type of romances or impulsive heroines that have no plan, you might enjoy the mysterious atmosphere full of twists.

[Daffodil]

Another stamp on the way!

Shelf 6: O2 - S is for ... 4/4
Stamp Received: requested 4-6-15
Daffodil Through the Zombie Glass, Gena Showalter, 4-1-15, 5 stars, Review
Dragana The Cage, Megan Shepherd, 3-27-15, 2 stars, Review
Nichole Dance with the Devil, Sherrilyn Kenyon, 3-27-15, 3.5 stars, Review
Rachel Royal Date, Sariah Wilson, 3-29-15, 3 stars, Review

[Dragana]

Sorry I delayed writing the review so much. I read the book for six-pack shelf too and this time I will be quicker. :)

[Daffodil]

Six Pack Attack
Shifter Mates, Jennifer Ashley, 4-5-15
Rating: 4 stars
Review: As a big fan of Jennifer Ashley's work, I was happy to finally get a chance to read these two novellas. Lone Wolf (Shifters Unbound #4.6) and Feral Heat (Shifters Unbound #5.5) take place between books of the series I've already read and it was nice to finally get the full story on two of the HEA that previously took place "off-screen" for me. Tiger's book, Tiger Magic, remains my favorite of the series and I was happy to see him make an appearance in each story.

The only thing that would have made me happier is if all of the novellas had been collected together. I've thoroughly enjoyed various series written by Jennifer Ashley/Allyson James and this just made my mind up for me to go ahead and hunt up the e-books of all the other stories that aren't available in print edition. I'm also planning to try out her Ashley Gardner mysteries at some point in the future.

[Daffodil]

Sounds good Dragana. I think we're in pretty good shape. Now if Mr. Randomizer would just start working in our favor and give us the right shelves.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Hex Nuts!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'S is for ...'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Daffodil]

Thanks Steph!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Welcome! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Nutties!

[Daffodil]

Next shelf is up and it's Reader's Choice!

Good shelf for us, it's in the corner which will give us 3 in a row in 3 more directions.

I'm excited because I picked up last night and was really hoping it would fit on the shelf.

[Nichole]

Enjoy, Daffodil!

I think I'm gonna go with . Most likely...

[Daffodil]

Now you can find out what happens after that cliffhanger ending from Origin.

[Nichole]

True dat! *grumbles* damn cliffhangers

[Rachel-RN]

Will be back with mine later

[Dragana]

Shelf: Six Pack Attack
Date read: 02. Apr. 2015.
Rating: 3 stars

If you have read anything by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff then you know what to expect: an entertaining book full of twists that is fun and easy to read.

The Fate Book gripped me from the start. Dakota was bored of being teased to be boyfriend-less. So, she maybe downloaded random picture of sexy guy, created a Facebook account and added him as her boyfriend. Imagine Dakota's surprise when after her car accident that guy appears and keeps telling everyone he is her boyfriend. Is Dakota dreaming in a coma or wth is happening?

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff played with my mind and twisted the facts all the time. I was constantly thinking WTF. When the book finally morphs at about 50% in romance suspense novel, the non-stop action still makes it great. I'm not a fan of this genre but I still enjoyed it. I think for those you like romantic suspense novels this would be 4-5 star book.

Fate Book is worth checking out, especially since it's currently Kindle freebie.

[Dragana]

I'm going to read for reader's choice shelf.

[Daffodil]

Ready for our next stamp, great job team!

Shelf 7: G2 - Six Pack Attack 4/4
Stamp Received: still reading
Daffodil Shifter Mates, Jennifer Ashley, 4-5-15, 4 stars, Review
Dragana Fate Book, Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, 4-2-15, 3 stars, Review
Nichole Origin, Jennifer L. Armentrout, 4-3-15, 4 stars, Review
Rachel Allegiance Sworn, Kylie Griffin, 4-5-15, 5 stars, Review

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Hex Nuts!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'six-pack attack'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Daffodil]

Thank You!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Nutties!

[Daffodil]

Thanks Sandra.

I'm loving , but I keep getting interrupted. I know I have to work to be able to afford all my precious (not said in a creepy Gollum voice at all) books, but it's really eating a big chunk of my reading time. I had card club last night, so that took a couple hours, not to mention the time it took to cut the paper for my project. I made plans a while back to join friends this evening at a local winery. I'll have nice time eating, chatting and drinking the house Sangria, but again it's time away from the book. I don't have much else going on this weekend, unless I just jinxed myself, so I may stay up late tonight reading.

How's everyone else doing?