The Challenge Factory discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
♦SSS Archives♦
>
R6: SSS Better Read than Dead (3) **Winning Team**
Week 4 - (28 - Done List) Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Read: (4/12)
Rating: ★★★★½
I liked that this had a less fantastical take on werewolves. The rules of these wolves fit more closely into what I somehow think of as a more realistic fashion. Things had more practical basis. The change is painful, silver can kill them, they are stronger, but they're also crazy territorial and some of the interactions between pack and others fit more in with how I would think of natural wolves.
I actually really like Mercy. She's smart and resourceful. Courageous, but not fearless. She is smart enough to understand the consequences when she attempts to do something, but is going to try to do the right thing even if it means putting herself in danger. She doesn't bow down to all the alpha men in her life. I like that even she doesn't really know what all her being a walker means. I'm convinced there's quite a bit more out there to be discovered on that front.
When it comes to Alex and Samuel though...:-p I like them both and feel like both really do care about her and now I want to beat my head into a wall because I hate love triangles. I especially hate love triangles when both characters deserve the win. And with two alphas the potential for a future menage seems very slim.
Poor Jesse, I really feel for Adam's daughter getting dragged into the selfish craziness of one wolves obsession. But she has some true grit too for a teen. I like her relationship with Mercy. I think she's got a good role model there and there is genuine caring between them.
LOVE the M/M minor plot in this book. I adored that Adam's third is gay and Warren's entire story. It's such a minor thing in this book, but it still made me happy. Mercy's solution was great and I really want to know now what Kyle's further reaction was.
Altogether this story was fun. The blend of paranormal and urban fantasy elements was well done and I liked the world on the edge of discovery how much magic truly exists. The main plot was a little confusing in its logic but ultimately makes enough sense. The characters are great and I will definitely be back to read more in this series. :) 4.5 stars overall, definitely worth the read.
Shelby Warren and Kyle get their own short story in
called in Red with Pearls, it is also in
. I love those two.
Jenne wrote: "Hmmm too many choices...."I am trying to pick something that covers as many challenges as possible with one book.
Grace wrote: "Shelby Warren and Kyle get their own short story in
called in Red with Pearls, it is also in [bookcover:Down These St..."Ooooooooh really good to know! Thanks Grace!
Ladies I will have to see what I am going to read....I may do a stand alone, I'm at the E.R. and on my IPad if I don't reply tonight, tomorrow morning for sure.
My 88 yr old father has been fighting a two yr infection that they can not identify...it has affected his tissue and they had to cut it away so he has three very large open wounds...his in home nurse said it looks like a infection in one wound....which is normal anytime you have an open wound odds are you will get an infection of some kind...so we are here on an I.V because it works quicker. All the norm, it happens often....thank goodness for reading or I would be bored to death!
NayNay I hope your father feels better soon. Glad you have your books, when my FIL was sick my SIL took time off to look after him so DH bought her a kindle and the whole family got her Amazon gift cards. She got a lot of reading done while he recovered.
Week 4 Sunday Roll Spot 31
Standalone and Author Z- Zathyn Priest★★★★
Finished 13th April 2015
I wasn't sure about this one when I started reading it but I got hooked once Jordan and Tyler/Alec met. I really liked both characters. It is at times both a funny and very emotional read. My only problems with it were it was a bit too instalove for my tastes and the ending was a little bit too neat and fairytale like. Saying that I do like a HEA and I will try another book by the author.
Thanks Grace...he's fine, just something we have to deal with often. It is what it is, we deal and we are very lucky, it could be something worse.A quick question. I started a book yesterday, it was before noon can I still use it, it is a standalone? Geez....I played this game everyround and don't know the answer to that!
I just checked she rolled 10am my time...I'm good to go. Thanks....I love when things just fall into place like that!!
by Sarah BowerWeek: 5 (Sunday)
Spot: 31
Standalone: The Needle in the Blood
Read: 04.14.15
Rating: 3 stars
Well what to say?
I have been wanting to read this book for a long while, and finally got off my butt and read it. I really don't know what to say, I gave it three stars because of the details to the time period were well written, informative and interesting. But this book could of been a lot shorter than it's 530pgs...Way to many sex scene's, and focused alot on the romance. I was hoping for more detail on the artistry of the tapestry, and in many parts it just drags on. I was disappointed with this book, I was hoping for much better. BUT what a beautiful cover!
Week 4.5 (31 - #1) The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen
Read: 4/14
Rating: ★★★★
This started a little wonky for me. It wasn't that I didn't like the characters or anything, it just seemed so very convenient and easy the way Sebastian and Anthony ended up together. But more on that later. I enjoyed a lot of this story in the end. While I thought at the beginning I'd end up having to slog through this, once the story got rolling it was a smooth read and I enjoyed myself.
Sebastian and Anthony...well to say Anthony's got a bit of arrogance is an understatement. I swear the man never thinks before he opens his mouth. But I do appreciate that Sebastian doesn't always take it lying down. He's much more able to stand up for himself and put his foot down when Anthony's being stupid. I liked Sebastian as a character. He's made the best out of an originally awkward circumstance; I mean standing in for your twin sister at her wedding as she's run off with another man is a bit much to ask of anyone even if Sebastian has spent time playing the female roles on the stage. But I felt for him as his real feelings got involved and he wasn't sure where he stood with Anthony.
As an actor myself, I enjoyed the touches of Shakespeare and the stage in this story. I've been to the Globe and it was so fun to see it mentioned here and the history behind that building. All of these little touches added a lot of enjoyment to this story for me.
Where this fails for me is a bit in the beginning and really stems more from how acceptable their relationship is in the historical context. (view spoiler) Not to mention the few people who find out about their unusual arrangement have absolutely no negative response. Their responses actually are much more modern acceptance than historical abhorrence for the unnatural. It was a minor glitch, but it bugged me just the same.
Still I liked that things didn't go totally smoothly for these two and Anthony definitely needed to step up with his grovelling. ;) There were some really fun moments, and after the first little bit this was a quick enjoyable read. I will look for the sequel and see where these two's story goes next.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
Spot 31:Read
by Courtney Allison MoultonFinished: 4/14/15
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
This was a different take on the Angels vs Demons plot. For a first in a series it was decent. There were a few things in the writing that screamed out at me. Just with the flow and resolve of a few things. Nothing too major to ruin the story though. I think once Ellie fully unleashes her bad a$$ she'll be a force to be reckoned with lol. All in all a decent read and I will continue with it to see what happens to the characters.
Well done ladies. We are all ready to roll tomorrow. My monsters are back at school so I will be rolling close to midnight Central time. We will land between 32 and 37. So those third in series will be good.Alternates
32. Text Item Sidewalk
33. Nevada
34. Red
35. 2007
36. Made me Cry
37. Title B
I have so many third in series to read I will probably be picking one of those.
I think I'm going to take your suggestion from Bingo Grace and just plan on starting The Boy with the Painful Tattoo at that time. Since we know it'll be a 3 it's a safe assumption to make. :D
I might be reading the same book :) What time is it with you it must be late, it is almost 10am here.
2am - I'm a total night owl though and tomorrow's my day off. So I'm enjoying my relaxing.Dang too bad you're not playing in MMP I'd have us set it up as a buddy read. :D
MMP is A Million More Pages. It's another challenge group, but the whole group is set up as one big year long Harry Potter Challenge. Basically when you sign up for the group and post your interest (there's a couple of initial steps as we've had a lot of people sign up and then not participate which is a real difficult thing for everyone else with the way the group is set up) and then you're sorted into your house. I'm in Ravenclaw (and we're definitely the best house. ;)). Within the group there are a number of challenges set up, most themed in some way around Harry Potter (like my round of Bingo I'm running, all the categories are some way connected to the world of Harry Potter.) Basically each challenge is awarded a certain amount of points for completing it. Those points are totaled monthly and added to your house points. You can be as active or not as you like. Some people read slower and are only signed up for one or two challenges and others are crazy over achievers like myself and signed up for each and every one. I love seeing how I can finagle my books into working with multiple challenges. :D But one of the easiest ways to earn points is by doing buddy reads with the other people playing. You get 3 points for each buddy read you complete. :)
It's an awesome group! I'm having a ton of fun over there. And I'll keep my fingers crossed - hopefully the sorting hat is nice and adds you to us lovely Ravenclaws. We're always happy to have another challenge addict.
Week 5 Spot 34
Book 3 in series★★★★
Finished 17th April 2015
I have been meaning to read this one since it came but I got distracted by other books as often happens. It was so nice to get back to Kit and JX. I love Kit's sense of humour and his insecurities. As usual trouble found him. The story was fun and the plot nicely interwoven. Jerry the fan/stalker was suitably creepy. I liked how the relationship between Kit and JX was progressing and I really hope there will be more books in this series.
Moonshell Beach by JoAnn RossWeek: 5 (Thursday)
Spot: 34
Series: Moonshell Beach (Shelter Bay #4)
Read: 04.16.15
Rating: 4 stars
I really enjoy this series...JoAnn Ross is one of the best author's to read. Her stories are compelling, her characters are always real and likeable. Moonshell Beach is a wonderful addition to Shelter Bay, this small town is filled with Warrior Men and Strong Women, this is a place every reader should visit you will not be disappointed.
Spot 34:Read:
by Debra DunbarFinished: 4/17/15
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
3.75
This picks up where book 2 ends and poor Sam has a lot on her plate now that she's the Iblis! For one reason or another our fun trouble making imp has started to develop a conscience. While that's great and all and probably necessary for Sam...it does kind of kill the humor of her antics. I suspect she'll be back in full demon trouble causing form soon enough though. Really though I can't speak highly enough of these books and if you like PNR or UF I think you'd love these!
Week 5 (34 - #3) The Boy with the Painful Tattoo by Josh Lanyon
Read: 4/19
Rating: ★★★★
Ok so I like Kit and JX. I've enjoyed them in every book so far. But I have to admit I kinda wanted to slap Kit upside the head by the end of this book. He's exceedingly self-centered this time around. And his conviction that everything isn't going to work out is quickly going to become a self-fulling prophecy. JX is patient and loves him, but if Kit can't learn to communicate better he will end up driving JX away.
So the entire mystery here made me giggle. I swear trouble seems to just follow Kit around. Through no fault of his own. He is so anti-social it's funny, yet everyone seems to want to drag him into things. I mean why else would a dead body show up in the your moving boxes. But Kit's sense of humor always makes the reading of everything entertaining. I love how he gets drug ever so unwillingly into things. He certainly never sets out to be helpful.
Oh JX you have some of the most long suffering patience ever. And you're going to need it into the future I'm sure. I do feel like he truly does care for and love Kit even if at times I can't begin to see why. Yet the fragile trust he's finally instilling in Kit is really sweet to see. He wants to protect the man so badly, but I swear for being a smart guy Kit thinks nothing through and finds himself in the land of crazy all the time. JX is ultimately so dependable he's going to drag Kit out of the fire.
I liked the little plots in this one, the crazy stalker Jerry added a fun color to everything and the over the top old school mystery type characters were entertaining. I like that these books have more of a feel of the classic simple mystery books than the more common mystery/thriller/suspense books. These are light and fun. I appreciate the characters and get to get lost in the story. :)
I will definitely look for the next book to come out in the series. I'm sure JX and Kit have a long way to go in getting more comfortable in their relationship together. Just look at how much of an ordeal moving in together was. ;)
Lol - Of course it's 4am for me, but I literally got home tonight after working all day and was exhausted. Didn't mean to fall asleep but did and then woke up and realized I still needed to post. Now I'm slightly awake and playing catch up on everything I missed today.
Shelby wrote: "Lol - Of course it's 4am for me, but I literally got home tonight after working all day and was exhausted. Didn't mean to fall asleep but did and then woke up and realized I still needed to post. ..."Yikes Shelby you are worse than me, I went to bed at 3 am and up at 7. It is almost noon here, it was grey all morning but now there is sunshine we are heading out before it runs away again.
I am an idiot I am looking through books thinking the one I was going to read for M/M bingo won't do as it is a second it series then I realised in fits the alternate doh!Week 5 Sunday roll Spot 37
250 Pgs GR
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Books mentioned in this topic
Touch of Frost (other topics)As the World Dies: Untold Tales Volume 1 (other topics)
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller (other topics)
Macaron Murder (other topics)
Touch of Frost (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jennifer Estep (other topics)Rhiannon Frater (other topics)
Sarah Miller (other topics)
Elizabeth Hunter (other topics)
Elizabeth Hunter (other topics)
More...



NayNay
Shelby
Grace