The Challenge Factory discussion
♦SS Archives♦
>
R15: SS Team 2 - Touch My Shelf

Week 9, Spot 59
Book: Shadow's End
Pages: 295 pages
How it fits: 9th in series (Elder Races)
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I thought it was good. I cried way too much towards the end of this book. Lots of people from the earlier books made an appearance, which I always like to see in longer series. I guess I would have given it 5 stars except for the fact that it was pretty predictable. Overall a good book though.


Week 9 Spot 59
Book

Pages 200
How it fits: Howl's Edge Island #5
Rating 4 star
Review
I'm currently obsessed with the omegaverse and this one hit perfect for my team game this week. This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed it. This is a quick spicy rh romance that I devoured in one afternoon. The characters are great I loved Jade and her pack even if they are in a little denial she's the one. My only complaint was the story was a little lacking but it was full of spice. I plan to continue the series as it's a standalone with a new omega and pack in each story.

Christina - Shadow's End Review
Denise - Inkheart Review
Krissy - Thirst Review
Jamie - What You Are Looking For Is in the Library Review
Danielle Gypsy Soul - Prince and Betrothed Review
Mandy - Matched to the Pack Review
Danielle Gypsy Soul
✸ One point can be earned for reading three or more books in a series.
Read #2, #3 and #4 in the Alice Worth Series for this challenge

Week 10 Spot 62

Book: Pack of Lies by Hailey Edwards
Pages: 244
How it Fits: #2 in The Potentiate of Atlanta
[*book:Pack of Lies|48646568]


Dulhaniyaa by Talia Bhatt
Pages: 141
How it fits: Author's last name starts with B

I'm starting

Just saw that this is currently free on audible and picked it up this morning.


Dulhaniyaa by Talia Bhatt
Date Read: 4/21/24
How It Fits: Author's last name starts with B
Pages: 141
Rating: ★★★★
Review: Gorgeously written and rich with culture. I thought this was a great read and a lovely debut for this author. The characters are extremely charming and I loved the connection between Esha and Billu from the moment they met. They work so well together and I thought both characters were great as individuals and I loved the way that their relationship developed. There’s also Esha’s family whom I also really liked. They were close and wanted the best for Esha even if what they wanted wasn’t exactly what she desired. Great read and I will for sure keep an eye out for whatever this author has next.

spot 62
Alternate: 62. Author 'B
The Only Woman in the Room
Marie Benedict
312 pages
read 4/23/24
5 stars
How it fits: Author last name B
I really loved this book. I learned a lot about Hedy Lamarr and her life. She was a fascinating woman who lived through a changing time and adapted to the changes well. We owe her a lot because of her inventions that helped with modern technology.

Week 10, Spot 62

My Choice: Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley
Pages: 280
How it Fits: Puckboys #2
Date Read: 4/25
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: I absolutely love this author. She never disappoints. I also love the delusional but lovable MC which this book had. I've been reading this series completely out of order but luckily they all can stand alone. I wish Tripp would have confided in Dex sooner so we could have had a longer gooey ending but I'm happy with how it all came together. And I can't deny that I liked that Dex shared his feelings first 😍 Great series, great author, and even greater narrators.
[*book:Irresponsible Puckboy|59623685]

Week 10 Spot 62

Pages: 434
How it Fits:Author's last name starts with B
Date Read: 4/25
Rating ★★★★★
Review:
I've been on an omegaverse obsession recently and grabbed this one because it fit my challenge. I really liked Charlotte as a character she's a sweetheart who may be a little emotion but aren't we all. She's go three alpha hockey players who just work together perfectly. Juggling their Omega and hockey career is a challenge and when things go spiraling out of control it could destroy everything they have been working for. The romance is sweet yet very steamy and Charlotte has a unique relationship with each of her men. They all complement her in their own way which I really enjoyed. I ended up devouring this one in just one afternoon because I had to know how it will play out. I can't wait to read Pipers story.

Christina - Midnight Riot ★★★ Review
Denise -The Only Woman in the Room ★★★★★ Review
Krissy - Irresponsible Puckboy ★★★★★ Review
Jamie - Dulhaniyaa ★★★★ Review
Danielle Gypsy Soul - Pack of Lies ★★★★ Review
Mandy - One Pucked Up Pack ★★★★★ Review

Book: Midnight Riot (aka Rivers of London)
How it fits: Author B alternate Ben Aaronovitch
Pages: 310
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I listened to this on Audible, which was fine, but I think the British accent was difficult for me to follow in some instances. It was a good story and the author wrapped everything up nicely. Good start to a series. There were some funny parts as well. Maybe the reason why I'm not giving this a higher rating is because there was a lot of history of the city, which I'm sure I would reminisce about if I had ever been to London, but I found myself spacing out during those parts.
I'm posting both book covers because I like the original book cover and title better after reading this.




Week 10 Spot 62

Book: Pack of Lies by Hailey Edwards
Pages: 244
How it Fits: #2 in The Potentiate of Atlanta
Date Read: 4/26
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: First off I'm happy for Hadley and Midas but I'm sad for Ford because I LOVE Ford! I've forgotten some of the stuff from the previous series so I might like this even more if I had done a re-read of that series. But despite that I'm enjoying this one. Lots of intrigue but mostly I love the way both Midas and Hadley are broken and have pasts they want to forget but how they help mend something in each other. I do really enjoy this and looking forward to the next book.
[*book:Pack of Lies|48646568]


Building Blocks by J.A. Armstrong
Pages: 385
How it fits: Book #7 in the 'By Design' series.


Building Blocks by J.A. Armstrong
Date Read: 4/27/24
How It Fits: Book #7 in the 'By Design' series.
Pages: 385
Rating: ★★★★
Review: A beautiful installment to the series. I got so teary eyed at a lot of different moments but they all had to do with little Cooper. Man I love that kid. He’s just the cutest. He’s trying to get used to the family and he’s so inquisitive about everything and everyone. I loved watching him bond with Marianne. Speaking of Marianne she has gone through some fantastic character development in this series. She was kind of annoying in the earlier books but she’s grown so much.
Jameson and Candace have a lot obstacles in this one. With adjusting to being new parents to Cooper to Candace's political career so it was a lot going on but I love the way that everything was handled. They work so well together and their romance seems to just get stronger with each book. I just love this series so much it's a warm hug and even though there were some heavier emotional moments in this Armstrong doesn't linger on that for too long and there's still a lot of humor in this. Loved it.

Spot 73
Change of Heart by Hailey Edwards
Pages: 309
How it Fits: #3 in the Potentate of Atlanta

Week 11
Spot 73
Book: Seventh Grave and No Body
How it qualifies: 7th book in series
Pages: 322 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Review: These are always a fun read. They are fairly silly and pretty easy to read, and that's why I only gave it three stars. Lots of sarcasm, and I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at the main character for doing the same dumb stuff over and over. But it was still entertaining.


Week 11, Spot 73

My Choice: Whiskey Throttle by Riley Hart
Pages: 362
How it Fits: Fever Falls #3
Date Read: 4/30
Rating: ★★★★
Review: Riley Hart never disappoints. I haven't read book 2 but that didn't matter since I had no problem following along. I pulled this off of the praise kink list but I was expecting more praise kink. Yea, Rush praised Linc a little bit but I wanted more! Strong 4 stars that could have been 5 if the ending didn't drag. I didn't understand the point of the dad scene. It's not like we even got to see Rush and his dad talk it out. So the book was a bit longer than necessary IMO
[*book:Whiskey Throttle|45995517]

Week 11 Spot 73
My choice

Pages 258
How it first: The Alpha Rock Stars #3
Date Read: April 27th 2024
Rating ★★★★★
Review
I picked this one up because it was 3rd in the series and worked for this challenge. I loved both Isabella and Hunter they have this sweet yet sizzling connection that works so well as they fake date in the public's eyes. This is a slow burn grumpy x sunshine story that I ended up devouring in just one afternoon. This is my first by the author but I plan to go back and read the prior books as we her others. I love the sweet omegaverse in the story.

Christina - Seventh Grave and No Body ★★★ Review
Denise - The Good Wife of Bath: A (Mostly) True StoryReview
Krissy - Whiskey Throttle ★★★★ Review
Jamie - Building Blocks ★★★★ Review
Danielle Gypsy Soul - Change of Heart ★★★★ Review
Mandy - Fourth Base with the Alpha ★★★★★ Review

spot 73
Alt: Set sometime before 1600
The Good Wife of Bath
Karen Brooks
Read 5/2
Set in 1364
I enjoyed the original telling of this story and was delighted to find an updated version. I got to the point where I couldn't put this down. I loved the way that it read so easily.

Spot 73
Change of Heart by Hailey Edwards
Pages: 309
Date Read: 5/3
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Lots of secrets revealed and character growth in this one. It's hard to remember the character Hadley was in the first series - she so different (for the better). I am really enjoying the relationship between Hadley and Midas. The weird roach creatures were out there. Looking forward to the next one.

Week 12, Spot 75

My Choice: Defying Logic by Nicky James
Pages: 489
How it Fits: Valor and Doyle Mysteries #5
[*book:Defying Logic|98181330]


The Secret of Shadow Ranch Carolyn Keene
Pages: 202
How it fits: Book #5 in the 'Nancy Drew' series

spot 75
5th in series


If you're anything at all like me you are going to be so lost 🤣🤣


Heart of Shadows by Lisa Edmonds
Pages: 485
How it Fits: #5 in the Alice Worth Series

If you're anything at al..."
I read my reviews of the old books (sometimes that helps) and I read the cover information. I think most of it is coming back to me...


The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene
Date Read: 5/5/24
How It Fits: Book #5 in the 'Nancy Drew' series.
Pages: 202
Rating: ★★★★
Review: I love Bess and George just as much as Nancy so I’m always excited when those two help Nancy with a case which they do here. I had so much fun with this one. I’ve got a head cold and feel awful so I’m not in the mood to review this but it was a great read and definitely one of my favorites so far.


Heart of Shadows by Lisa Edmonds
Pages: 485
How it Fits: #5 in the Alice Worth Series
Date Read: 5/5
Rating: 3.5 Stars Rounded Up
Review: So first off I absolutely hate the amnesia trope if it falls in the middle of a series (I don't mind it for a stand alone of a book 1) but I really don't like it when the MC has amnesia in the middle of the series. I also don't typically like when time bounces back and forth during the book (A few chapters now/then a few chapters of the past). However, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and it resolved some other outstanding issues (Amnesia). This was a very long book in this series and I listened to it while packing my house up and it definitely kept me interested. I still would have rather had a linear time line but it didn't bother me to badly. I adore Sean and he is so good to/for Alice and it was nice to see Alice really accept/return that in this book. A lot of relationship growth in this and wow the manipulation by the vampires really comes to light in this one. It left me looking forward to what is next. But wow Sean's pack is seriously dwindling although I don't know if they could have resolved the Delia issue any other way.

Week 12, Spot 75

My Choice: Defying Logic by Nicky James
Pages: 489
How it Fits: Valor and Doyle Mysteries #5
Date Read: 5/05
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: This series just keeps getting better and better with each book. I predicted 50% of the ending but I was surprised by the other 50%. There were quite a lot of characters to keep track of in this installment. I gotta say though..... I fucking HATE Quaid's new partner. She pissed me off every single time she opened her mouth. Get OVER yourself, woman. There were many reviews saying that you will start to like her by the end but...no. I still disliked her. And I'm pretty sure every book remaining in this series is going to be ruined if she's in it. Unless she has a complete personality transplant.
[*book:Defying Logic|98181330]


Spot 75
Alternate - MC over 60
An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good
Helene Tursten
178 page
how it fits - MC is an elderly woman
read 5/8/24
5 stars
No one ever suspects the elderly. This book was proof of that. How much did the woman get away with and how much did we not know she did? I loved the dark humor of the book and how we were somewhat kept guessing during the whole book.

Spot 75

Pages 352
How it fits: 5th in series
Rating 4 stars
Finished May 9th 2024
Review
I picked this one up because the main character is a bookstagrammer by night and accountant in her day job. She's just as book obsessed as most of us. I loved the fake relationship between Molly and Nicolas even if it was only Molly who really saw it as fake. This isn't my first book by the author and I love her style she creates captivating stories that are hard to put down and I enjoyed it. I need to read more of this series.

happy reading!
Books mentioned in this topic
Finally Forever (other topics)An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (other topics)
Defying Logic (other topics)
Heart of Shadows (other topics)
The Secret of Shadow Ranch (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nadia Lee (other topics)Helene Tursten (other topics)
Lisa Edmonds (other topics)
Carolyn Keene (other topics)
Lisa Edmonds (other topics)
More...
Week 9 - Spot 59
Book: Prince and Betrothed by Tavia Lark
Pages: 296
How it Fits: #5 in Perilous Courts
Date Read: 4/14
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: This was my least favorite in the series so far. It wasn't bad it just wasn't as good as the others. It's probably more of me thing since it wasn't written well I just don't like MC's like Sei where they are "taught" that they don't mean anything on their own and believe it. I just wanted something different for Marek. He did grow through the book and stood up for himself more in the second 1/2 so I gave 3.5 stars instead of 3.