SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R5: Team #15 ~ Ferociously Flirtatious {2nd Place}


Shelf: Magic
Rating: 5 stars
Series: Weather Warden #3
Date Finished: 2/9/12.
Wow, Rachel Caine really does keep on getting better with this book exhilarating, fast-paced, action-packed and emotionally daunting. Poor Joanne was really given a ride in this one, she's just trying to do right by herself and to get Kevin and Jonathan back and out of that mess.
Instead, the wardens punish her, jerk her around, she loses her lover, and some evils from her past come back to haunt her.
Lucky she's got the strength and snarkiness to handle it.

Ember the name.




Magic Shelf
Rating~ ★★★★
Date Finished~ 29/8/12
My quick review!
First, I have to say... It has been a long time since I read the last book, and it hurt me as a reader! I was so confused as to who the hell these people were! All I got were names, and through conversation I finally figured out who some were. Some I never remembered! SOOO my point with that is that I cannot wait for the year it takes for new books come out unless there is a breif summarization of what happened up to this point. I remember individual stories, but not the rolling background of different characters. ESPECIALLY when they all start with an S!!
Salvatore, Styx, uhhh & 2 others (my mind is blanking!) Anyway, some are vamps, Salvatore is the werewolf blah blah blah... GEEZ I got confused!
As for the story! GREAT!! FUN!! Snarky back & forth between the Sylvermyst Ayrial & vamp Jaelyn. Girl Jaelyn is hired by the council or whatever to capture & bring to them Ayrial male. He captures her & brings her to Morganna le fae (forgot specific name & don't have the book in front of me)realm & chains her. They are both hot for eachother, but neither will admit it early on... Well then oracle like demon appears to Jaelyn seting her free & demons daughter throws her through a portal to catch up with Ayrial in London, changing her job into watching him & not capturing him.
The whole back story is... bad guys want to raise the dark lord & good guys stop it. J & A are after a baby girl who is a vessel to raise the dark lord. Ayrial wants to kill her, Jaelyn does not... Levit the gargoyle shows up & has his funny moments ettc.
It was pretty good & would have been a much faster read, but I forgot who the charaters were until the middle of the book when I had the AHHHH moment...


Shelf: Magic
Date Finished: September 1, 2012
Rating: 5 stars
Review: Well Aden has found himself and Victoria in a cave trying to save his life. Why? Because of a stab wound that was killing him. And now the problems begin, because as he is saved Aden is changing from human to vampire. And his friends are in trouble because Dracula is back in town and wants his crown back. Not to mention Victoria's brother comes back into the picture after centuries of banishment. A race against time and souls to save or give up, What is Aden to do next in his Kingly court of vampires? Will he Defeat the Dracula? Will Victoria finally come out with the truth about how she has changed throughout the story? Will Mary Ann and Riley be able to get over her drainage powers? Will Tucker's little brother be safe from the evil that stock both of them? Well that is too many questions to answer so read the book and find the answers to those questions and more.

SOS: ~ Book Shelf Bingo! ~
Book Shelf: Magic

Title/Author: Hounded, by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #1
Rating: ★★★★½
Read: September 1, 2012
First-time author: Yes
To-be-continued: Definitely!
Review: my goodreads review
Oberon
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★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve never read anything by Kevin Hearne before, and I’ve never listened to Luke Daniels narrate, either. But I definitely will again! So glad I chose to listen to this one, as the pronunciation of Druid and other ancient dialects would have totally tongue-tied my mind. Even with the nicely provided “Irish Pronunciation Guide” in the front to the eBook. I couldn’t begin to attempt saying Aenghus Óg or Tuatha Dé Danann in my head, let alone out loud.
Mr. Daniels does an excellent job of them all, as well as differentiating the characters; subsequently, I was completely drawn into Mr. Hearne’s world, where I think I would have been distracted with the correct pronunciation, otherwise. He even does a good job on the female voices; no small feat for a male reader. This one is in first person POV and Mr. Daniels coveys the cleverness, wit, cynicism, charm, and just plan sassiness of Atticus O’Sullivan, the tattooed proprietor of an occult bookshop – and part-time apothecary – in Tempe, Arizona. And his voice for Oberon is a hoot! He sounds like the lovable doofus he is; which is fine, since he is an Irish Wolfhound. (view spoiler)
There are tons of supernatural beings (Fae, witches, lupines, gods, goddesses, vampires, demons, angels, ghouls, etc.) in the first installment of The Iron Druid Chronicles, and almost all of them want Atticus’ magic sword “Fragarach, the Answerer.” The most significant of these is one pissed-off dark god named Aenghus Óg. Atticus, himself, is a shape-shifter and gets his power from the earth. I loved the description of how his energy travels though his tattoos.
Hounded is rich in details without being weighed down by too much world building, like so many first in series novels. Just the right amount of time spent on Celtic mythology – and other pantheons – mixed with mystery, action-adventure, and character-interactions to keep it wondrously interesting. It is a little more violent that I like my books, but I knew that going in. This is a fast-paced read with a witty narrative that I had to re-wind to catch some things, saying to myself, “Did he say what I think he did?”
However, most of all it is fun!
I’ll certainly have to read the prequel short-stories (free on the author’s website) and track down the novella.











Stamp request for Magic Shelf!
11. Magic Shelf 25/8/12.
Completed - 5/5 stamp requested
Jeann - Chill Factor ★★★★★.Review. 2/9/12.
Jessica - The Darkest Whisper ★★★★★. Review. 27/8/12.
Amy - Bound By Darkness ★★★★. Review. 29/8/12.
Juana - Twisted ★★★★★. Review. 1/9/12.
Lisa - Hounded ★★★★½. Review. 1/9/12.








Lol, sounds like he had a great day though!
Amy, no problems, just glad everyone got in quickly. We have a good fighting chance! I'm halfway through my book, but alas, I'm getting sleepy. I'll probably finish my book tomorrow, and hop on before work to check this thread.

Ember the name."
I hate auto spell on my iphone!
Wee hoo! almost done with my book already! Nothing like a vamp and a gifted human jumping in bed every chapter to make it go quickly!

SOS: ~ Book Shelf Bingo! ~
Book Shelf: psychic

Title/Author: Bonds of Justice, by Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling, #8
Rating: ★★★★½
Read: September 2, 2012
First-time author: No
To-be-continued: Definitely.
Review: my goodreads review
Blind Justice
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★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Angela Dawe continues to narrate the wonderful Psy-Changeling series, and with the eighth book she delivers her usual excellent job of distinguishing the male and female characters. I’ve grown used to her reading of this romantic paranormal, action-packed, psychological thriller-come-political mystery.
I loved this one! Maybe not as much as some of the others in this fascinating futuristic series; nevertheless, I've learned I tend to be harder on Ms. Singh because I compare her to herself instead of other authors; so, I'm trying to lighten up. Honestly, this really is an excellent book and an essential part of this brilliant series. (view spoiler) I like that every one is a little bit different, as Ms. Singh chooses to focus on a different aspect of her world.
Detective Max Shannon is a human cop and friend of Clay & Talin of the DarkRiver shapeshifting leopard pack who first made his appearance in Mine to Possess. He also is lucky enough to be able to shield Psy probing. This natural ability (an evolutionary change?) comes in handy around the Psy. Well, except that they’re aware of this and their dominant influence has prevented him from advancing to lieutenant; needless to say, he isn’t exactly fond of them.
After twelve years as a J (“Justice”) Psy, Sophia Russo’s shields are getting thin. She has been a J for longer than most others, and she’s concerned about that inevitable rehabilitation order. Nikita Duncan, one of the Psy Council Members – and someone I do not trust – assigns her as a liaison working with Max. Despite Silence, Sophia finds herself attracted to the beautiful, ethical, dangerous, protective human.
Interesting that Ms. Singh combined a human Enforcement officer with a “Justice” Psy. These two have more than jobs in common; both had unhappy childhoods. Max was in Foster Care; Sophia had no parents, either. She’s haunted by the “blood-soaked footsteps of evil” after retrieving the memories of so many deviants and psychopaths. She has scars inside and out. She also can’t stand to be touched; a pretty big obstacle to romance.
“We fit, you and I,” he whispered looking into that haunting gaze. “Two broken pieces making a whole.”Yeah, this couple certainly grew on me.
Some fans thought there wasn't as much romance, but I was satisfied. On the plus side there is more of the amazing Kaleb Krychek. I know, I know! Ms. Singh has warned (teased?) us not to fall too hard for him, as we don't know if he is a “good guy” or a “bad guy.” This still doesn’t prevent me from having my little fantasies. LOL! ...but back to the storyline: for whom is he searching ?
The upshot is that some stuff is left undisclosed, but I have faith in Ms. Singh’s ability to eventually get to these things. The overall story arc and continuing development of the characters is compelling.
Audiobook covers:











Photo credit: “Blind Justice,” Playboy Magazine illustration, 1980s.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>


Psychic Shelf
Rating~ ★★★& 1/2
Date Finished~ 2/9/12
I so remember why I didn't finish this series right away. It just reads like an old woman or my mom would write a romance book. Cheesy, not really dated, but will be dated because of Harry Potter references etc. Romance skimmed over like they were afraid their kids might read it an be all embarrassed.
Anyway, this was an animal tamer vamp guy from Las Vegas who receives half of a coin amulet & knows what its about. He meets the woman with the other half when they are both summoned to San Diego. She is an Hunyara, I guess a new intro species ~ mortal decended from a werewolf & vampire mating several generations back. She has a psychic power to control werewolves & animals. So does he. Soooo of course Jason Cage & Sofia are natural bond mates because they have a similar gift.
The background story is that Sofia's cousin is a feral wolf (bitten, not born) and a hunyara as well. This group wants her as their alpha female to breed an uber race to take over the world. Sofia & a bunch of vamps & weres work together to help rescue her. Then there is also a situation of Sofias dad in prison... They have to break him out too.
This book opend so many new characters all at one, I got confused as to who was a vamp or were until the end. Oh well. Since I do own all of these books, I'm going to read them. They are a super fast read even though this one was arounf350 pages. There was no real thought involved until the intor to all these people at once that I thought were weres but were vamps too. Otherwise it was pretty good. Cheesy, but good. I did know that going in, so it's laughable.

You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'magic'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D

Ha says the person from the competing team! LOL!!


Shelf: Psychic
Rating: ★★★★
Date Finished: 3/9/12
Vlad and Leila are made for each other. First you've got Vlad Tepesh, the sexy, brutal, original Dracula who can shoot fire from his hands. Then you've got Leila, an unassuming human who can shock you at the touch of her hand. She's got some awesome powers, like getting visions of people's darkest from the simple touch of an object or person.
While the plot of this book is a bit thin, the magic happened when Vlad and Leila were around each other. The sizzling chemistry was unbearable and they're soon inseparable. I particularly enjoyed Vlad's sexy confidence in knowing that Leila was attracted to him.
Being a fan of the Night Huntress series, it was interesting delving into Vlad's world. He's definitely one of the more compelling characters in the series, and with a whole army of vampires at his command, he's the perfect co-star of this new series.
Regarding Leila, I'm not too convinced about her yet. I know she's strong, spunky, and can stand up to Vlad's vampire possessiveness. Besides her cool powers and dark past, I didn't feel like I got to know her well enough as a character yet (or perhaps I was too busy drooling over Vlad). We'll see what happens as the series progresses.
Classic Jeaniene Frost with excellent character development and back stories, fast-paced action, and sizzling sex scenes. Who needs Fifty Shades when you've got Frost? Frost always breathes life into vampires, a genre that is overdone, and you'll never get bored with her characters.
Unfortunately, the story was kind of had an unresolved ending and the finale sort of fizzled before it started. Let's hope the next book finishes off with more of a bang.

Read faster !!


Books mentioned in this topic
What the Heart Wants (other topics)Once Burned (other topics)
Primal Desires (other topics)
Bonds of Justice (other topics)
Slave to Sensation (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Angela Dawe (other topics)Nalini Singh (other topics)
Kevin Hearne (other topics)
Luke Daniels (other topics)
Jim Butcher (other topics)
More...
RacingReading! :D