R5: Team #17 ~ Sultry Seventeen

[D.G.]

Wow, we're on a roll!

Great review, Lauren. This sounded interesting but I don't think it will be my cup of tea. I've never been crazy by anything written by Maya Banks.

[Lauren]

I loved her McCabe series set in the Scottish Highlands and after finishing it decided to give this series a try. Its very different (contemporary not historical) and it wasn't too successful but I'm willing to give the next book a try before deciding whether or not to call it quits.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Sultry Seventeen!
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

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats SS!

[D.G.]

SHELF: Favorite Series



Title/Author: Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
Read for shelf: favorite-series
Date finished: Jun 26
Rating: ★★★★½
Review: This is probably the best book that Patricia Briggs has written. Not only was the action exciting but she brought at the forefront the conflict between supernaturals and humans. It made me think a lot about race relations, tolerance, how people fear what they don't know and how is never a good idea to let yourself guide yourself by fear.

The ending was amazing and I just cannot wait to see where she takes this conflict.

[Lauren]

Thanks Steph and Sandra!

Glad you enjoyed your read Capt. Hussy!

[D.G.]

Woohoo! Our second stamp! WTG Team!

[[deleted user]]

Yes way to go everyone! and I see we are doing very well with our current shelf as well.
I enjoyed your reviews Captain and Lauren, I'm in the home streach with my Favorite series read, I've been reading almost non-stop since I started it, which puts me about 500 pages in, I'm taking a bit of a breather today as this is probably one of the longest reads I have ever attempted, but fear not I will be done with this by the time the next shelf is called :)

[Lauren]

Crossing fingers for you Kat. It's going to be an amazing achievement once you're done!

[D.G.]

Definitely an achievement...and to read it in a week!

I have the audio but it's like 30+ hours so when I decide to pick it up, I'll read in a month or so.

[[deleted user]]

I'm not generaly a fast reader but I find if the book is interesting and it keeps me entertained then I find I tend to read faster and this book has no shortage of either :)

[[deleted user]]

Ok so against my better judgement I pushed myself to finish A Game of Thrones and ended staying up quite late to finish this fantastic book... Here is my Review (I think I need a Nap...LOL)



Shelf for June 24:Favorite Series
Book Chosen:A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Date Read:June 28, 2012
Rating:4♥♥♥♥
Review:As this is my first foray into the world of Epic Fantasy, I have to say that It was a journey I was very happy to make.

George Martin takes his readers into a world of High Intrigue, Betrayel, Love, Death and Mystery. The wealth of characters and imagery in the book are fantastic and I find myself not knowing who to root for or who I should be hating.

My favorite characters have to be Jon(stark's bastard son) and Tyrion Lannister(the Imp). It seems I have a soft spot for characters who seem to have a harder time with life in general.

All in all this was a great first book in the Song of Fire and Ice series and I will most certainly be continuing on with this series after I have let my poor brain compute the wealth of information this book has given me :)

[Jackie M]

Wow Kat you smoked through that book! Now rest your eyes lol.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks Jackie, once you got into the story and started to understand what was going on the book was fairly easy to read, Martin has a way of writing that just pulls you in and once your there, your hooked :) Needless to say my next choice will be not be so long and alot easier on the brain to :)

[D.G.]

Good job, Kat!

[[deleted user]]

Thanks I'm eager for the next shelf to come up, I'm on a roll and want to keep it going :)

[Lauren]

Well done Kat!
Also eager for the new shelf - want to see which books I've allocated will come up.

[D.G.]

I'm in a similar position as last week. I have a book due to the library that I need to read. I hope my luck holds and it fits one of the shelves! Luckily, it will be a bunch of them so I have a good chance.

[D.G.]

This weeks shelf has been announded :'New2You: Series'
This is a personal shelf, not a GoodReads' Shelf

NOTE:
❀ Members are allowed to choose the first book from any series that is new to them - no genre restrictions
❀ Book must be 200+ pages, part of a series and the first in that series
❀ Re-reads are not allowed - must be a book/series new to you

[D.G.]

I have over 100 books that are first in a series on my TBR and I have no clue which one I'll read. I guess I'll have to browse and go through some of my books to see which one I feel like reading.

[[deleted user]]

Yay! a new shelf :)

I'm going to go with for my New2You:Series pick

[Lauren]

New shelf has arrived and about time too!

My New2You:Series book of choice is by Cynthia Eden. It's another one that's been on my TBR for ages and ages. Looks like I'm using Bookshelf Bingo as my TBR cleanup as well.

[Jackie M]

I'll have to do some digging in my TBR pile and then I'll be back with my pick.

[[deleted user]]

Lauren, I read last year in april and really enjoyed it, I gave it 4♥'s, I hope you enjoy it as well :)

[D.G.]

I started reading but it was too crazy even for me. Time travel, post apocalyptic PNR? C'mon!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

That's a shame Captn Hussy, I thought it was pretty good. Though I'm wondering what I'm missing cause my ebook was 75 pgs & I see the pb is 212.

[D.G.]

Sandra wrote: "That's a shame Captn Hussy, I thought it was pretty good. Though I'm wondering what I'm missing cause my ebook was 75 pgs & I see the pb is 212."

I must be in a particular mood to take really cheesy books and when I read there that terrorists had bombed the US and then an asteroid fell over the Earth, it was just too much for me.

I may try it later though but definitely not now.

[D.G.]

Oh I'm reading for this shelf.

[Lauren]

Thanks Kat. I'm on chapter 5 now and enjoying it a lot. The world building is very good.

@Capt. Hussy - Terrorists AND an asteroid! That is a bit much!

[D.G.]

LOL, Lauren! Also, the book has time travel, werewolves and an epidemic that killed most of the women. 8-0

At some point, I was expecting Highlanders to make an appearance.

[Lauren]

Lol! It's got everything in there but the kitchen sink!

[Jackie M]

I am done with my book.




Shelf Favorite Series
Pleasure Unbound
Read 7/1/2012
4 stars

Tayla is a demon slayer who wakes up in a hospital that caters to demons. Her doctor Eidolon just happens to be a gorgeous demon who is looking for a mate.

Tayla who has never relied on anyone before finds herself attracted to this man/demon and needing him in her life.
Eidolon is like a night in shining armor, he saves her life, gives her the best sex she has ever had, and protects her.
Eildolon helps Tayla accept things about herself that she never would of thought were possible.

I really liked how tough Tayla was and her witty remarks.
Eidolon was a strong alpha male without going over the top. (just the way I like em)
For me this book had just the right amount of action and romance and I will be continuing on with the series for sure!

[Jackie M]

For the New 2 U Series I will be reading

[Lauren]

Thanks for the review, Jackie. I tried to read Pleasure Unbound last year but couldn't get into it. I need to give it another try.

[Skandia]

I hope I have more time to read next week. Need to catch up :)
I will read for the New2You series.

[D.G.]

Doing really well, ladies. :) Here are our planned reads for this week. I'm almost done with mine. :) I put the series info in the title name so it's easy to figure out that they are 1st in series. :)

BSB5 Week 3 (Jul 1 - Jul 7) : New2You: Series
Completed: 0 / 5
D.G.: Wild Oats (Wild Oats #1)
Jackie M: A Blood Seduction (Vamp City #1)
Kat: Storm (Elementals #1)
Lauren: Eternal Hunter (Night Watch #1)
Skandia: Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)

[[deleted user]]

Looks great Captain! I think the whole team is really doing great,keep up the good work everyone! :0)

[D.G.]

I've heard really good things about Storm so I'm looking forward to your review, Kat.

That cover is horrendous though. They all look like poster boys for a hair salon!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

I quite enjoyed the prequel which was free on Amazon, not sure if it still is though.

[[deleted user]]

You are so right D.G...lol. What bugs me most is that none of the guys on the cover match the actual decription of what they look like in the book >:(

But the story thus far is very good and I'm finding myself unable to put it down except when i have to go to work, darn work why do you have to interupt my reading schedule...lol

I didn't read the prequel yet but it is included at the end of my book so I'll get to read it then :)

[D.G.]

Yes, I need to check that one out.

[[deleted user]]

I have a feeling this could be a 5♥ read for me if it continues to be this good :)

[Skandia]

I'm in the middle of Halfway to the Grave and I love it, I love it, I love it !!!
Sry girls, I'm the last one to finish this shelf but looks like I will catch up now really quickly :)

[D.G.]

I'm glad you're enjoying it, Skandia.

I'm done with my book but I'll post my review when I get to work. I'm not that good typing on the iPad.

[D.G.]

~♥ Kat ♥~ wrote: "You are so right D.G...lol. What bugs me most is that none of the guys on the cover match the actual decription of what they look like in the book >:(

But the story thus far is very good and I'm f..."

Yikes!

It seems as if the author asked all her male cousins to pose for the cover because they are all bad. As a friend of mine said, the one for the prequel looks like he got caught in a bush.

[[deleted user]]

LOL D.G. he does look like he was caught in a bush :)

[Lauren]

Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden
Shelf: New2You: Series
Finished: July 2
4 Stars

Synopsis
Erin Jerome is a woman of secrets. Not only is she not human but she has a deranged stalker leaving her gruesome gifts. Jude Donovan, the bounty hunter on her newest case, has secrets of his own. A shapeshifter with a dark past, Jude may just be the only man who can stop Erin's psychotic admirer before it is too late.

Review
Original world building with a well-paced and enjoyable if predictable plot.

Erin and Jude have a solid romance and great banter, and their sizzling sex scenes typify Eden's skill at writing HOT encounters that never overshadow the story.

Erin is an unusual mix of immense physical strength and emotional weakness and insecurity but this just makes her more "human" and engaging. Jude is simply scrumptious in both human and shifter form. The only frustrating aspect of their relationship is their tendency to keep secrets from one another. However, everything progresses smoothly once things are out in the open and there is no drawn out angst.

The stalker plot is tense and suspenseful with some spine tingling moments despite the fact that his identity is quite obvious primarily due to a lack of suspects. The other secondary characters are intriguing, especially Zane and I look forward to the next installments.

The writing could be smoother and tends toward repetition but the pacing is good and the story entertaining. Overall, a strong beginning to the series.

[D.G.]

SHELF: *New2You: series



Title/Author: Wild Oats (Wild Oats #1) by Pamela Morsi
Read for shelf: *New2You: series
Date finished: Jul 2
Rating: ★★★★
Review: Wild Oats is not your usual sort of historical romance. Set in the Oklahoma Territory at the beginning of the 20th century, the book has a virgin hero who's an undertaker and a heroine who's the town's infamous divorcee. Given the mores of the time where women were supposed to stay with their husbands even if "he beat her twice a week", our heroine is despised by the community and can barely stay afloat. Jedwin, the good boy hero, decides that he needs to sow some 'wild oats' and who better than the scandalous Mrs. Briggs to scratch his itch?

Thus commences a very sweet romance with some interesting musings about being true to ourselves, doing what we believe in even if we are 'breaking the rules' and parents learning to let go of their kids when they grow up.

One of the most interesting parts of this romance was the relationship between the hero and his mother, who was very controlling. At the beginning I was shocked thinking that the hero was going to be a Mama's boy (yikes!) but the author stroke the right balance between loving and decisive. He's a nice guy who loves his mother and tries to be respectful but he was enough of a man that he was able to make his own decisions regardless of his mother's opinion.

Overall, a really good romance that I recommend to anybody looking for something different. I can't wait to read the sequel.

[Jackie M]

A Blood Seduction
Shelf: New2You Series
Read 7/3/2012
4 stars

Quinn has had strange things happen to her such as her clothing changing colors and seeing an old house and a yellow jeep. Little does Quinn know that she is full of power.

Quinn is helping her younger brother Zack look for his missing best friend Lily when they are thrown into a different dimension. Zack and Quinn find themselves at the mercy of two vampires and things just keep going south from there.

Arturo is the vampire who rescues Quinn from death and her brother Zack is taken by another vampire.

Arturo scares Quinn at first then she believes him to be her friend and someone she can rely on. Arturo then shows his true nature to her and betrays her, Quinn still has feelings for this man that she knows she should hate, because one minute he's a snake and the next he's her hero.

I really enjoyed this book a lot and will be reading the next in the series.

[[deleted user]]

Good grief you girls are fast readers, i'm loving all the reviews so far :)