R5: Team #4 ~ Better Off Read

[Breann]

New shelf girls! Shifters!

[Desperado]

Thanks for announcing the shelf, Captain! I'm going to read for Shifters. I am NOT a fan of anthologies & I've been trying to get this sucker off my TBR since 2010.

[Breann]

I am reading an anthology too! I am going to read for this shelf. I am also not much of a fan of anthologies BUT it fits with two other challenges! I have only read one of the series from this one so we will see how the rest are.

[Christal]

Sorry I've been MIA lately ladies; I am on vacation. I am going to read Tempest's Fury for the shifters shelf. I didn't bring that book with me though so I won't be able to start it until I get back home on Tuesday.

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

Shifters I will go for

[Angi]

For our Shifter's shelf (Ty for the announcement:) I'll be reading "Bayou Moon". .... and goodness it's a rather long read!

[Breann]

Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Shifters I will go for"

Oohhh, this is a good one Jade! Enjoy!

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

Breann wrote: "Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Shifters I will go for"

Oohhh, this is a good one Jade! Enjoy!"

168 page in and loving it!

[Angi]

Free Space Read:
Date Finished: July 9th
Rating: ★★★★
Review:

I have to say, Eugenie just keeps making me think less and less of her. I cannot believe the things she does..... NOT tell Dorian about the children? We can guess how that is going to go. I understand her wanting to keep them safe, but come on.... can we focus on the bigger picture here and stop being so selfish? If she were my friend in real life... she would no longer be because I wouldn't be able to put up with her.

Maiwenn and Kiyo, I don't think I could possibly like them any less than I do now. I cannot believe how selfish Kiyo is... how could he not have told Eugenie? Maiwenn? I don't think there is anything good in that woman truly. She has her children and is being very selfish and evil. I didn't like her... not even from the very beginning.

Paigel.... poor kid. And I totally did NOT see that coming. Totally blew me away as I was reading on the way to work this morning ( don't worry I was only the passenger ;-)

Overall... I give this book a four. Even though I cannot stand Eugenie. The only one I do like now is Dorian... the one really disliked at the beginning. How can that be?

[Breann]

Angi wrote: "Free Space Read:
Date Finished: July 9th
Rating: ★★★★
Review:

I have to say, Eugenie just keeps making me think less and less of her. I cannot believe the things she does...."

Well, since you gave it a four maybe I will go back and finish it? I stopped reading because Eugenie pissed me off so much. And I read spoilers so I NEW that I was going to be mad about the ending. But I hate not finishing a series when I am so close! Well, glad you enjoyed it! You have inspired me to give it another go.

Now I will go request our Free Space stamp! Yay, we are all caught up on our stamps! Great job girls!

[Angi]

Overall, I liked the story. And I'm like you... once I've invested so much time in a series, I have to finish it. Though, I can't stand Eugenie... and I want to smack her.... really. I do enjoy the fact that Ms. Mead can make me feel this way... kwim?

[Angi]

I just read that this was the series finale.... is this true???? If that is the case what a crappy ending! There is so much more to happen in this story! (Still ... read it Breann! lol)

[Breann]

Angi wrote: "I just read that this was the series finale.... is this true???? If that is the case what a crappy ending! There is so much more to happen in this story! (Still ... read it Breann! lol)"

YES! That's why I was so mad! This is the last one in the series...so...no resolution for them? Especially poor Dorian?

I really liked her Succubus books though. They were very good! Kind of like Eugenie, where I couldn't stand Georgina at times but she does get a HEA at least.

[Angi]

Ugh! No.... really no resolution and no one (I.e Maiwen and Kiyo) get what is coming to them. See...based on the fact I thought this had a follow-up I gave it a 4.... Now, I'm afraid I have to take away a star and give it a 3. This series is just begging for more!!

[Angi]

P.sI'll have to check out her Succubus series. I've heard so many conflicting opinions that I was hesitant to begin. I'll have to give it a go!

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

Angi wrote: "P.sI'll have to check out her Succubus series. I've heard so many conflicting opinions that I was hesitant to begin. I'll have to give it a go!"

I read the first book Succubus Blues not sure what I thought actually, definitely not what I expected from Mead. The plot was pretty good but the writing seemed to drone on I found myself waiting to reach the last page. That was a few months ago and I haven't rushed to read the next installment, it will probably stay sat on my TBR list.... which seem to be never ending!! :D

[Breann]

For those of us who read the Fever series... are you going to read ? I have never read a graphic novel before. I can't decide if I want to buy it or not. Graphic novels are not my thing but at the same time, can I pass up a Fever book? And be able to live with myself?

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Better Off Read!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'Free Space'.

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

Good Job!! :D

[Breann]

Thanks!! After we get our Shifters stamp we will have 3 two in a rows! Yay us!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Better Offs!

Breann, why don't you try getting it from your library? That way you can decide whether you need to buy it or not.

[Breann]

Sandra wrote: "Congrats on the stamp Better Offs!

Breann, why don't you try getting it from your library? That way you can decide whether you need to buy it or not."

Oh, because going to our library will cost me more than the book. I checked out a set of books for my third graders and they were due over Christmas break. Well... silly me forgot them in my classroom and had about 30 over due books. Now, I avoid the public library! Good idea though! :)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

LOL. Well at least you can see it for free at the library even if you don't borrow it.

You could probably even read it there too. Not sure how long they take but I've seen teens reading and enjoying them in my local library.

[Desperado]

Woot Woot for the new stamp! We are on a freaking roll!


Shifters Read:
Date Finished: July 10th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh 4 ★'s
Cute little Psy-Changeling novella featuring Emmett the Leopard & Ria, the goody-two-shoes human. I remember her from the PC series as the receptionist chick for Lucas. Mmmmmm. Lucas. I liked this book. It didn't really further the PC plot lines but it was cute and it expanded on something Ria said in another book about how she once blew out her mate's ear drums. I always wanted to know WTF went down...and now I know.

Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook 5 ★'s
ZOOMFG!!!! That was good. Better than Heart of Steel, if I'm going to be honest. This novella focuses on Eben (AKA Mad Machen) & Ivy Blackstone, who've been bit players in the "Iron Seas" series since book one. I adored it. Eben was....well, he touch my tra-la-la. My ding-ding-dong. Enough said. And Ivy was the right amount of stubborn tenacity without making me want to knock her face in. I wish Brook would turn their story into a full-length one because I WANT MORE!

Shifting Sea by Virginia Kantra 2 ★'s
I'm familiar with the "Children of the Sea" world since I've read Sea Witch & the two that proceed it on my TBR. So I wasn't completely left in the dark. So...SS is about Jack, this soldier turned Lord-o-the-Manor and Morweena, one of the "finfolk". I think this story had a lot of potential but it was rushed as hells. For seriously. They had The Sex in the first chapter and by around chapter 4 they were "in luvs". I found myself not caring what happened to either character because I didn't know anything about them except for how big Jack's lap ham was and how much Morweena loves when Jack goes carpet munching. That's it.

Blood and Roses by Angela Knight 1 ★
I'm going to summarize this book in 6 words: Stupid ass fools fall in lust.

ETA: Smith. Her name is Ivy BlackSMITH. Apologies. I had a brain fart.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

LMAO! I❤LL

[Breann]

Sandra wrote: "LOL. Well at least you can see it for free at the library even if you don't borrow it.

You could probably even read it there too. Not sure how long they take but I've seen teens reading and enjoy..."

I've done that at B&N before. Had time to kill, found the book I was currently reading in the store and made myself comfortable.

[Breann]

LethalLovely~I've Come to Relieve U of Life & Love wrote: "Woot Woot for the new stamp! We are on a freaking roll!


Shifters Read:
Date Finished: July 10th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:


Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh 4 ★'s

Cute littl..."

I haven't read Meljean Brook yet. She is on my TBR. You have inspired me to get to it soon! Great review!

[Desperado]

Breann wrote: "LethalLovely~I've Come to Relieve U of Life & Love wrote: "Woot Woot for the new stamp! We are on a freaking roll!


Shifters Read:
Date Finished: July 10th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Re..."

Thank you! YES! DO READ! Meljean Brook is one of the few authors I unashamedly fan-girl over. Her steampunk series is really good but I prefer "The Guardians" one. Brook is one of those authors that actually make you use your brain and think really hard because there are so many twists and turns, especially in her "Guardians" series. The last book is coming in 2013 (WHY,BABY,WHY?!!!?!?) & I never in a million years thought what's going down in it would've happened reading book #1. But it makes sense. Cause Brook is BOSS.

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

Finished 11/07/12
5*

At this minute all I can say is I loved it, loved it, loved it!!

[Breann]

Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Finished finished 11/07/12
5*

At this minute all I can say is I loved it, loved it, loved it!!"

Sometimes that's all there is to say. This series is one of my faves! Glad you liked it!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

As long as you say more in your review Jade :)

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

FINISHED 11/07/12

Rated: ★★★★★

Review:
This installment follows the story of Clay Bennett a powerful Dark River sentinel, he was raised by an abusive human mother and an absentee his changeling father. He is tracked down by Talin McKade his best childhood friend who he thought was dead and she needs his help, to track down the missing street children she looks after.

Clay was sent to a young offenders institute after he brutally murdered Talin's step father years ago after she confided in him that she was being abused. After he was sent down Talin convinced her new foster family to say she had died and kept away from Clay for years so she didn't mess up his life anymore that she though she already had.

After fining out the reason Talin needs his help Clay agrees to help her and hopes that by doing so he can get closer to her and hopefully never again have to let her go.

I loved this book, so far I think this may be my favorite in the series....although I realise I have many more to go! I can't wait for Dorian's story I find him really intriguing!!

Singh manages to make you fall in love with each of the strong male characters, warts and all! Each of them having their own problems to face. She keeps each story fresh and never repeats herself which a lot of her fellow author's tend to do! No names mentioned :)

Each of the female characters are also really head strong, which I suppose they will have to be to deal with these men!! Yet all seem to bring out the perfect qualities in each other. Who wouldn't want to be part of the pack. Can't wait to get on to book 5 :)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Excellent!! Glad you loved it :)

[Christal]

Shifters Shelf:
Finished: 7/11/2012
Rating:★★★★★
Review:

Jane, Anyan, and Blondie take off for England in this newest installment of the Jane True series and it goes without saying that chaos ensues. This book read like wildfire; once I started it, I couldn't put it down!

Jane was as awesome and loveable as ever. She started stepping up into her role as champion and matured even more as she did so. She became a very inspiring character and learned what it meant to be involved with something bigger than yourself. She still had all the cute quirks that make her a great character, her loud-mouth libido, love of stinky cheese, and quick-witted quips foremost among them, but she just became "more" in this book.

I've been Team Anyan since the beginning and I loved seeing him and Jane explore their relationship. We're seeing sparks of something real, something the readers can really believe in. Jane and Anyan together are an amazing team. We learned a little bit more about Blondie in this book and how she was a past champion. She becomes a good sounding board for Jane and helps to guide her into her new role as the current champion.

I did miss seeing the normal crew of crazy Rockabill townies, but we met a few new interesting supes. Magog and Gog are divisive characters, but it was really Huriel that stole the show. I am interested to learn more about Britain's supernatural leaders.

The main baddies, Morrigan and Jarl, put together an unexpected plan to take over and cause chaos. In trying to stop them, Jane learns a lot and becomes much stronger, but she is hit with an unexpected amount of pain and loss. At the end of this book, Jane is really floundering. We as readers are also adrift, as Ms. Peeler has seen fit to leave us with a horrible, soul-crushing cliffhanger of an ending. I can't believe we have to wait until next year to find out how everything plays out but I will be there with bells on!

[Breann]

Shifters
Finished: 7/12/12
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Stroke of Enticement by Nalini Singh ★★★★☆

This is the story of the Changeling Leopard, Zach and his mate Annie. Annie is Zach’s nephew’s teacher and Zach called to school to pick up his nephew. Upon meeting Annie Zach realizes that Annie is his mate. He doesn’t tell her that she is his mate yet because Zach is easing her into the idea of trusting him before mentioning the mating bond. Zach was a fun character. Easygoing and sweet, but just as possessive and growly as any other changeling. It was a really cute story and a great addition to the series.

Christmas Bree by Erin McCarthy ★★★☆☆

Bree and Ian met briefly a year ago and have been dreaming about each other ever since. Ian is a lawyer and has a client that wants to purchase Bree’s house. He is forced back into Bree’s life and goes to Bree’s house in middle of nowhere town in Illinois. He intends to see Bree and decide that she isn’t as intriguing as he initially thought. But, of course, he only wants her more. He is a conservative no nonsense kind of guy and Bree is a goth looking witch. But when they meet again and realize that they have been having the same dream for the past year Ian decides to throw logic out the window. It was a sweet romance. There was a lot of chemistry between the characters. I really liked Ian, he was patient with Bree, even when she was throwing a silly fit. It was good for a novella, but not really enough for me to want to seek out the rest of the series.

Sweet Dreams by Linda Winstead Jones ★★☆☆☆

Creepy cat knickknacks that mysteriously appear in your house, creepy noises coming from your walls and dreams of being sacrificed to a demon. This shit was creepy. I don’t do creepy. I admit that I am a complete wuss. I don’t like scary or anything remotely close to maybe being considered as scary. It was a good story with good characters, just not for me.

Christmas Heat by Lora Leigh ★★★☆☆

Hayley was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She overheard a conversation that she shouldn’t have and has to testify against the enemies of the breed. She is locked in her own home with the protection of the Breed. Noble, a Breed Enforcer who has claimed Hayley as his mate, is staying with her in her house for protection, of course. I have never read any books from this series before so I was a little lost at times. I didn’t like how closely the Breeds were related to animals physically. It felt weird to me, maybe because this is a book in the middle of the series so I don’t have any other knowledge of the world building here. I liked Noble and Hayley together. They had known each other for a year now and had been getting closer and closer throughout that time. It wasn’t mating at first sight. Which was nice.

Overall, this was a good group of stories. I definitely enjoyed the Psy/Changeling story the best. That’s probably because it’s the only series here that I read!

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

Hey ladies, just thought I would share this book with you along the same lines as Fifty Shades of Grey but in my opinion blew Mr Grey out of the water I started reading it before work yesterday and rushed home to carry on reading last night already on 87%....say hello to Gideon Cross :)

[Breann]

Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Hey ladies, just thought I would share this book with you along the same lines as Fifty Shades of Grey but in my opinion blew Mr Grey out of the water I started reading it ..."

I have been meaning to read this one. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the rec! This will definitely move up my TBR!

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

Really good just gutted I have to wait until October for the next installment!

[Desperado]

Jade aka MrsTosh wrote: "Hey ladies, just thought I would share this book with you along the same lines as Fifty Shades of Grey but in my opinion blew Mr Grey out of the water I started reading it ..."

Thank you very much for the rec, Jade! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! I read BTY in April and thought it was pretty amazing. I was worried because you can not hear about BTY without also hearing about 50 Shades of WTFery but it was fantastic, maybe because it was (in the words of many reviewers) what 50 wished it could be but utterly failed.

[Jade aka MrsTosh]

To be honest I read 50 Shades Trilogy after reading loads of good reviews and friends telling me I had to ready it! I started and had read it in about 4 days and I loved it, was hooked on Christina Grey and then I ready Bared To You and was like Christina who??

[Breann]

Happy Shelf Day team! Our new shelf is... ghosts!

[Desperado]

Bleh. This was the shelf I was worried about. Despite my adoration for "Downside Ghosts" I am absolutely positively terrified of ghosts. Because of that, there are few involving them that are on my TBR shelves. *sigh* Hopefully I'll find something that doesn't make me want to piss my pants. Good luck, Team!

[Breann]

I was thinking the same thing. One of the stupid stories in The Magical Christmas Cat scared the crap out of me! We will see what I come up with...

Have you read First Grave on the Right? That is a good series and made me lol the whole time.

[Breann]

I am going to read for the ghosts shelf. Happy reading everyone!

[Christal]

I'm going to read Anna Dressed in Blood for the Ghosts shelf.

If you haven't read Royal Street , it has a pretty cool take on ghosts. One of them is a sexy pirate.

[Angi]

Ah, I'm almost finished with my "shifters" read. It's been a busy week for me... my MIL has been visiting and the usual stuff. I should finish today at the latest, tomorrow.

YIPPEEEE Ghosts!!! My most favorite sup! In my opinion, nothing better than a good ol ghost story (Lethal, I hope you are able to find one that doesn't scare you too badly! ;-))


I'll most likely be reading a Chess book but need to confirm that it is on the list.

[Angi]

Oh Christal, I have "Anna Dressed..." on my booksfree queue. I'm interested to hear your review!

[Angi]

For our ghost shelf, I'll be reading Sacrificial Magic (Downside Ghosts, #4)

[Desperado]

@ Breann: Thanks for the rec! Unfortunately, everyone who's read First Grave on the Right has told me that it's paranormal chick-lit & I loathe that subgenre with a purple passion.

@ Christal: Anna Dressed in Blood was FANTASTIC! It was creepy as hells (you do NOT want to screw around with that bloodthirsty ghost) but I enjoyed it and hope you will as well. ☺

@ Angi: Thanks, Angi! And Sacrificial Magic? I approve. I almost wish I had've waited to read the latest one (Chasing Magic) so I could use it for the this challenge but I can not resist the TERRIBLE!

Meh. I think I'm going to read for Ghosts. I'm not excited about it (the cover is atrocious IMO) but my other choices are lackluster at best. *sigh*

[Christal]

I'll be looking forward to your review, Lethal. I have Wicked As They Come on my list to read for a challenge this month. I agree though, I almost passed on it because of the cover but a GR friend convinced me I had to read it.

[Breann]

Lethal, yes, if you don't like Chick Lit than First Grave on the Right is not for you! No matter how sexy Reyes is.

I changed my mind. I decided that I'm not in the mood for UF. So I am going to read Mine Till Midnight. I have never read a Lisa Kleypas book but have been meaning to for forever!