Feb - Pick It For Me!

[♥Tricia♥]

Thanks for understanding Lara /hugs

[Sheree]

Lori - Wow just about everything I love is on your bookshelf already, so it was tough choosing but hope you enjoy "Claiming the Courtesan" by Anna Campbell

As a backup can I suggest Keta Diablo, she does erotic/fantasy/romance - I have just received her 'Dust & Moonlight'& 'Land of Falling Stars'

[Lori]

Sheree, thank you! I've just read some of the reviews and it sounds like a fascinating book. New_user in particular has a very in depth review and we have very similar tastes in books. You obviously put some thought into this pick and realized that it wouldn't be too "dark" for me. I really appreciate that.

[Lara]

Ok. I have finally come up with a book for Sheree. I gotta tell you this was very hard for me. We don't have any books in common other than the Twilight saga. So...after a lot of research I have come up with White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz. I hope you enjoy it. Second choice is Mind Game (Ghostwalkers Series #2) by Christine Feehan. I hope I didn't do to bad with my choices.

[new_user]

Wow, Sheree, you chose a risky one. ;) That book's a little controversial. I'll be interested to see what you think of it, Lori. :)

[♥Tricia♥]

oohhh controversial? Am I going to have to find a way to incorporate that book into my challenges? I think so!

[Cheryl]

new_user

Now I am curious, what makes it controversial??

[Sheree]

You have to read it, I guess it's really up to the individual's interpretation - rape vs forced seduction. I think Anna Campbell does a fantastic job of not prettying up a nastier aspect. I really enjoyed it and didn't find it too 'dark' or depressing. I didn't think it was the 'Heathcliffe' kind of dark. I now have Anna Campbells 3rd one to read - Tempt the Devil

[Sheree]

Lara - I just picked up White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz (discounted too which is always a bonus LOL) and Im looking forward to reading it. Thanks

[new_user]

LOL, Sheree, I see you read my review. I likened Kylemore to Heathcliffe because he's one of those troubled heroes who is difficult to love and commits the questionable acts he does because of that love.

Overall, I did think it was a good book. It's well-written, and the hero's emotion and the desperation that drives him to do what he does is convincing enough to be rending, but yes, different readers will see it differently.

And that would be a cool challenge, Tricia. ;)

[Sheree]

new user - have you read Anna Campbell's 2nd book - Untouched? I didnt enjoy it quite as much but it was still good. Atypical characters; the male is the 'untouched'one lOL

[Lori]

Tricia, I'm sure I could come up with several more "controversial" books if you're interested LOL. It would be interesting to see if we could all read something that was a little out of our comfort zone.

[♥Tricia♥]

I have an extremely open mind about that sort of stuff. I think its why I am so picky about what I read.. because I cant stand the boring same ole same ole in a book hehe.

Granted if the author is good and imaginative then the same ole isnt so bad.

[Lori]

Yea, it would be pretty hard to find something out of my comfort zone unless it had a lot of torture scenes. I can't stand that. Won't watch it on TV or movies either. Just really bothers me.

[new_user]

Yeah, I'm not too into the norm myself.

Sheree, I read it, but I read it kind of quickly so I couldn't really give the book a fair critique. It was nice with the charming hero so eager to learn, LOL. ;) It didn't quite have as much of an edge as the first; it was a little more palatable for those readers who like less conflicted heroes. I was midway into Tempt the Devil when I got sidetracked. It's another courtesan book. I'll have to go back to it.

[Melissa]

I just finished Pleasure Unbound! It was really good. Cool twists and turns I didn't see coming! I was happy to see book 2 in that series is due out at the end of this month and book 3 following closely behind it in April. I see others are reading this so I can't wait to talk about it when more are done!

[♥Tricia♥]

An update for my chooser!

The book started off sorta slow for me but I am really getting into it and I am liking it so far! :D

[♥Tricia♥]

Dont forget guys, when you are done let your chooser know how you liked/disliked the book!

Or you can give periodic updates througout :)

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

We will...mine haven't arrived yet...

[♥Tricia♥]

Doh! :D

Mine came super fast, I guess I am lucky! hehe

[Glori]

Hi Amanda,

I have Naked in Death. I am excited to start reading it, but I must confess that Dream Warrior is calling me from the coffee table. ;-) I guess the more books I have to read the happier I am.

I will let you know how I like it.

[tosca]

Tricia wrote: "An update for my chooser!

The book started off sorta slow for me but I am really getting into it and I am liking it so far! :D

"Re-reading it now myself and I hafta agree - for the first 20 pages or so it drags a bit. Trying to remember why I enjoyed it. Maybe it was the sex LOL I think it mayhap addled my brain to the plot. Although I'm on page 55 now and liking it again =)

[tosca]

Nikki wrote: "For Tosca I'll choose A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. "

Just a quick update - mine arrives first thing Monday and I'm looking forward to it! There was a whole buncha ppl who requested it ahead of me - which always bodes well for a book, methinks =)

[Nikki ♥]

Tosca, I hope you enjoy the book. I love the series. I'm currently reading Dark Desires After Dusk, and so far it's my favorite.

[Sarah]

I just finished Stephanie's pick for me, Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur, and I loved it. Thanks for picking that one, Stephanie.

I had picked up the Riley Jenson series before, but I put it back before reading more than a few pages. I don't know if I wasn't in the mood for it or what, but I wish I had finished it then. I really like the characters.

The premise, for the uninitiated, is that Riley Jenson is a dhampire--half werewolf, half vampire. She and her brother work for the Directorate, a sort of supernatural bounty hunter institution. When Riley's brother turns up missing, she knows something is wrong. Her investigation leads her into a web of underground cloning experiments and betrayals. This is a great setup for what I hope will continue to be an intriguing series.

The charactes are well-developed and multi-faceted. Riley is a super kick-butt heroine, and she reminds me of Rachel Morgan in Kim Harrison's series. I wish there had been a little more development with vampire Quinn, and I sure hope he appears in the other books.

All in all, highly recommended, and great pick from Stephanie.

[Kasia]

Jael wrote: "Thanks for the help YZ

Ok Kasia I looked through your shelf and it's very diverse but staying with the UF theme I saw you gave 4 stars to the Kitty books so I'm suggesting [b:The Becoming|607559|T..."

It was short, it was an easy read. The plot was rather convoluted & complex. But overall, for me, it lacked certain je ne sais quoi. I never really got to a point where cared for the heroine, which is the biggest selling point for me... I'd say, it's not a particularly bad book, but it's not a great one either... rather forgettable.

But this is just me, I'm picky like that. People usually tend to like "The Becomming".

Nonetheless, thanks Jael. This was supposed to get me to read something new, and I did. And I'm glad ;D

[[deleted user]]

Sarah wrote: "I just finished Stephanie's pick for me, Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur, and I loved it. Thanks for picking that one, Stephanie.

I had picked up the Riley Jenson series before, but I put it bac..."
.....................................................
thanks great Sarah i am so happy u liked it.. i loved the book couldn't put it down.

[Nikki ♥]

I will be starting Tricia's pick for me, Guilty Pleasures this weekend.

[♥Tricia♥]

Woot :D

Her series is great! I am anxious to know how you like the first book.

[Amanda A]

I finished Sarah's pick for me, Touch the Dark by Karen Chance. This is the first book in the Cassandra Palmer series. Cassie Palmer is a clairvoyant who was raised by the vampire who had her parents killed. She escaped and has been on the run for three years when he catches up with her again. She turns to the vampire senate for help, to no avail. Cassie discovers she is more powerful than she realized and the vampires need her help. Cassie is a likable, strong character and the plot keeps the reader intrigued. I have to admit it took me a while to get into the story, but once I did I really liked the book and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Thanks for the great pick, Sarah.

[tosca]

Nikki wrote: "Tosca, I hope you enjoy the book. I love the series. I'm currently reading Dark Desires After Dusk, and so far it's my favorite."

Argh! Thank you for that - am a chapter off finishing and have enjoyed every bit of this title. Enough to hunt up the rest of the series :)

[Sarah]

Yay! Glad you liked it, Amanda. It does take awhile to get into the story, but once the characters hook you, you can't put it down. I think (hope) you will like the rest of the series as well.

Did you have a favorite character?

[Nikki ♥]

tosca wrote: "Nikki wrote: "Tosca, I hope you enjoy the book. I love the series. I'm currently reading Dark Desires After Dusk, and so far it's my favorite."

Argh! Thank you for that - am a chapter off finishi..."

I am so glad you liked it. The series gets better and better :)

[Amanda A]

Sarah wrote: "Yay! Glad you liked it, Amanda. It does take awhile to get into the story, but once the characters hook you, you can't put it down. I think (hope) you will like the rest of the series as well.

Did you have a favorite character?"

Cassie was my favorite character. For all that she had been through in her life, she was amazing!

[♥Tricia♥]

I finished Dreamwalker and I have to say it was very good! I am planning on putting together a review for you Tosca so gimme a couple days. Its been one hectic week! :D

[Lori]

Just finished Sheree's pic for me Claiming the Courtesan and I really enjoyed it. Given the circumstances and past history of the two main characters, I didn't find the story controversial at all. Where some people may have seen rape, I saw it more as forced seduction like Sheree mentioned. It reminded me a lot of the "bodice rippers" I read when I was a teenager. I'd forgotten how good they can me.

[Melissa]

There's still a week left in February, but I was wondering if we were going to do this again for March. I ended up really enjoying the book picked for me and would love to do it again!

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

You just got ahead of me, Melissa. Even though I haven't read mine yet, I would like another recommendation, too.

Well, let's see if Tricia is listening and would want to do it again. If she is busy, I can organize it, if there is enough interest.

(Yoo..hoo..Tricia...they want more of your Pick-It-For-Me Challenge...)

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

I was considering joining for March. My only problem is that I'm not into PNR/UF and so many here are. So I don't know if I'd be able to recommend a book they'd like, or they could find a book I'd like. (Although with my large collection of books I've acquired but never read, they could always pick something off my unread shelves since I have over 1700+ books on that shelf! lol That's what you get when you get 60+ books in a bag at the annual library's $1/bag sale, and of course, you buy a couple bags each year on the last day of the summer sale. lol)

[♥Tricia♥]

Oh absolutely we can do this again! I really liked this challenge alot!

[Melissa]

I can't speak for everyone else but, I think everyone was geniunely happy with their picks. I don't think they were all PNR or UF either. I know I looked through the bookselves of the person I had to make the selection for and got a feel for what she had read and was planning to read before choosing something. And hey, it's only one book, right?

[Kasia]

Briansgirl wrote: "I was considering joining for March...."

It's always a risk, but I'm sure everybody reads some outside of PNR. If it turns out bad, you don't have to read/finish it.

I like this challenge, it's fun, especially picking books for others.

[♥Tricia♥]

BriansGirl I dont think it will be too big of an issue.

As the challenge is meant to be difficult in the sense that someone else is choosing a book for you to read. They look at your tbr list and choose something NOT on it.. could be the same genre could be something diff.. its the whole point of the challenge.

And if they couldn't get into it then its all good.. at least they tried something new!

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

Tricia wrote: "BriansGirl I dont think it will be too big of an issue.

As the challenge is meant to be difficult in the sense that someone else is choosing a book for you to read. They look at your tbr list and ..."

OKay, I'll try it one month. You've convinced me. lol

[Nikki ♥]

Just finished Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, which was Tricia's pick for me.

I really enjoyed the book. I loved Anita's character. Although I still prefer PNR, I'm glad an Urban Fantasy book was choosen for me. I will most likely continue with this series.

Thanks for the good pick Tricia.

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Glori,

Just letting you I finally have a copy of You Slay Me by Katie MacAllister. Will be starting with it tonight. Looking forward to reading it.

[♥Tricia♥]

I am glad you liked it Nikki :D

After the first 4 in the series it sorta changes a bit and it gets better imo. There are more relationships happening and just alot more in depth of alot of the characters.

So while it is UF in nature it sorta crosses the lines a bit , at least for me.

[♥Tricia♥]

My review of Dreamwalker by Kathleen Dante Spoilers Ahead.











Ok this book took me alot longer to read then normal.. I couldnt seem to get into it as much as other books, even when I was already halfway through.

I liked the chemistry between Rory and Adonis alot, and their sex was AMAZINGLY written.

Though it seemed like (gasp) there was a bit too much of it at times.

The story line got super boring toward 3/4 of the book when they were discussing some mumbo jumbo about the bomb and such.. she seemed to string that out a bit and I just wanted them to go after it already! lol

My favorite scene was when Rory was upset after seeing the prostitutes and how they were treated and she became vulnerable to Adonis and exposed her secret as a Lamia to him by shedding her facade right in front of him bit by bit.
That was excellently written!

And from there it got alot better for me.. They were getting down to business with the bomb!

Anyhow I rate the book 3/5 simply because it couldnt keep my attention as I thought it would.

Her writing style is really good and the sex is, as I said, amazingly written.

I would definitely pick up another of the authors books, assuming she writes more paranormal stuff :D

[Lara]

Cheryl wrote: "Lara,
I see you have read a lot of Lora Leigh and Lori Foster. I really enjoy them as well. I noted that you haven't tried Leigh's Breed series or Foster's Visitation series. Which are both great!..."

Cheryl, I started on If you Dare by Kresley Cole and I am loving it. Thanks for such a great pick!

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Glori,

I finished You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister last night. I enjoyed the book very much. It was light-hearted, and has some pretty funny dialogue. The heroine was a good combination of smarts and ditziness in a comical way, and who can resist a hot, sexy dragon thrown in. I have selected the next book as part of my March challenge.

Thanks for the recommendation.