February 2014 Update

February has come to an end and I have read 16 books. This adds up to a total of 3892 pages. Not as much as I might have liked - many of the books were quite short.
All my February posts are HERE.

List of books:

1. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
2. Magic Graves by Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews
3. Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews
4. Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews
5. Curran POV Collection by Gordon Andrews 
6. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
7. Steel and Other Stories by Richard Matheson
8. The Highlander's Hope by Cali MacKay 
9. Honeymoon For One by Chris Keniston  
10. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
11. Becoming by Kelley Armstrong
12. What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte
13. Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
14. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
15. Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer
16. Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret
Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.
Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.
But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself. From Goodreads.

Chelsea has always been the one to gossip and tell everybody's secrets. She shares a discovery with a group of people and somebody is nearly killed. This was an interesting book. The main character goes from very dislikeable to likeable and there is a serious issue in it too.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (288 pages)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (contemporary)
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014 (contemporary)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (contemporary)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought 28th of July 2013)
2014 Women Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Joanne's♥ bookshelf - she is a tiger)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Ten Book Author Train Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (H-hawk)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Abby, 13, is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence. From Goodreads.

Another free book that was way better than expected. The scary part of this book is the description of how they survive. The group the book follows on Castine Island is a good group. Most of the group want to work together to help each other, but that is not the case on the mainland where it is survival of the fittest or in other words the worst. 

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (188 pages)
Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge 2014 (lives by a body of water)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (dystopian)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (less than 200 pages)
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought 10th of September 2013)
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (S-jellyfish)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge (Maine)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

It began with A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers... Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew once more in this stunning, richly imagined, epic tale. From Goodreads.

This book has been on my TBR pile for more than 1½ year. I bought it as soon as it was published on Kindle in July 2012 but then never got round to reading it.
I enjoyed it and it was interesting being back in 1590 Europe. It just wasn't as good as the first book. I am however looking forward to the final book coming in July.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (historical fiction)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (historical fiction)
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge (award winning)
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge (Night)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought on Amazon.co.uk 10th of July 2012)
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (D)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (592 pages)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Shan's bookshelf - she is a goat)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge (Europe)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (D-badger)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2

Crazy Challenge Connection March 2014 Scavenger Challenge - Dr. Seuss Start

Crazy Challenge Connection - Dr. Seuss hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

When you ask folks to name an author of children's books, Dr. Seuss is likely to be one of the first responses you get. Since this month is the 110th anniversary of his birth, we decided to base this month's challenge on Dr. Seuss. Have fun!

MARCH 2014 SCAVENGER - DR. SEUSS
DURATION: March 1- March 31, 2014

1. Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to the world as the beloved Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904, on Howard Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Geisel died of throat cancer on September 24, 1991, at his home in La Jolla, California, at the age of 87.
Read a book set in Massachusetts or California OR a book with a character who has a major illness.

2. Ted left Springfield as a teenager to attend Dartmouth College, where he became editor-in-chief of Jack-O-Lantern, Dartmouth's humor magazine. His father wanted him to be a college professor, so Ted went on to Oxford University in England after graduation. Academic studies bored him, and he decided to tour Europe instead. He did not graduate, but while at Oxford, he met, Helen Palmer, who later became his wife.
Read a book shelved as “humor” OR a book set in England OR a book in which a wedding takes place.

3. Geisel's first work signed "Dr. Seuss" was published in Judge magazine in 1927. The first book that he both wrote and illustrated, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before finally being published by Vanguard Press in 1937. His last book, published the year before his death, was Oh, the Places You'll Go! , which became a popular gift for graduating students.
Read a book by an author who publishes under more than one name OR a book with a 2 and a 7 in its total number of pages OR a book that was published after the author’s death, but still under his/her name.

4. Geisel's most famous pen name is regularly pronounced /ˈs(j)uːs/, an anglicized pronunciation of his German surname (the standard German pronunciation is [ˈzɔʏ̯s]). He himself noted that it rhymed with "voice" (his own pronunciation being /ˈsɔɪs/). Alexander Liang, one of his collaborators on the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, wrote:
You're wrong as the deuce
And you shouldn't rejoice
If you're calling him Seuss.
He pronounces it Soice
Geisel switched to the anglicized pronunciation because it "evoked a figure advantageous for an author of children's books to be associated with -— Mother Goose" and because most people used this pronunciation.
Read a book with a “foreign” word in its title OR a book where the first letter of EVERY WORD in the title (all words count!) can be found in MOTHERGOOSE. Titles must be at least three words long, and to use a letter more than once, it must appear more than once in the phrase.

5. In May 1954, Life magazine published a report on illiteracy among school children, concluding that children were not learning to read because their books were boring. As a result, William Ellsworth Spaulding, the director of the education division at Houghton Mifflin, compiled a list of 348 words he felt were important for first-graders to recognize and asked Geisel to cut the list to 250 words and write a book using only those words. Nine months later, Geisel, using 236 of the words given to him, completed The Cat in the Hat, probably the defining book of his career. It maintained the drawing style, verse rhythms, and all the imagination of Geisel's earlier works, but because of its simplified vocabulary, could be read by beginning readers.
Read a non-fiction book dealing with literacy OR a book with the word CAT or HAT in its title OR a book whose title includes only words that are no more than five letters long. ALL WORDS COUNT, and titles must be at least three words long.

6. At the time of his death, he had written and illustrated 44 children's books, including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His books had been translated into more than 15 languages, and over 200 million copies had found their way into homes and hearts around the world. His works have spawned numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, four feature films, a Broadway musical and four television series.
Read a book that has been made into a movie, a TV special or a TV series OR a book with two (or more) rhyming words in its title OR a book with a 4 in its original publication date.

7. Dr. Seuss has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but, although he received numerous awards during his career, he never won the Caldecott Medal or the Newbery Medal. His honors included two Academy awards, two Emmy awards and a Peabody award. In 1984, he won a special Pulitzer Prize citing his "contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America's children and their parents." In 2004, U.S. children's librarians established the annual Theodor Seuss Geisel Award to recognize "the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year." Geisel's birthday, March 2, has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association.
Read a book that has won an award (be sure to post a link to the award site where the book is listed) OR a book written by or about a celebrity OR a book you got from the library.

8. Geisel also wrote a pair of books for adults: The Seven Lady Godivas, a retelling of the Lady Godiva legend that included nude depictions; and You're Only Old Once!, which chronicles an old man's journey through a clinic.
Read a book originally published in the 1980s OR a book that is outside an author’s usual genre (example: David Baldacci is known for his adult thriller books, but he also writes books for children)

Yes I have joined yet another challenge but who can resist Dr. Seuss.

My list of books: (which might change)

1. ✔ Read a book set in Massachusetts or California OR a book with a character who has a major illness. An Unlikely Match by Barbara Dunlop 
2. ✔ Read a book shelved as “humor” OR a book set in England OR a book in which a wedding takes place. Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec
3. ✔ Read a book by an author who publishes under more than one name OR a book with a 2 and a 7 in its total number of pages OR a book that was published after the author’s death, but still under his/her name. - Vinter-Eventyr by Karen Blixen. (Isak Dinesen, Pierre Andrézel and more).
4. ✔ Read a book with a “foreign” word in its title OR a book where the first letter of EVERY WORD in the title (all words count!) can be found in MOTHERGOOSE. Titles must be at least three words long, and to use a letter more than once, it must appear more than once in the phrase. One Sweet Moment by Maggie Craig
5. ✔ Read a non-fiction book dealing with literacy OR a book with the word CAT or HAT in its title OR a book whose title includes only words that are no more than five letters long. ALL WORDS COUNT, and titles must be at least three words long. - Two Weeks with a SEAL by Theresa Marguerite Hewitt
6. ✔ Read a book that has been made into a movie, a TV special or a TV series OR a book with two (or more) rhyming words in its title OR a book with a 4 in its original publication date. - Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs. (TV-series Bones)
7. ✔ Read a book that has won an award (be sure to post a link to the award site where the book is listed) OR a book written by or about a celebrity OR a book you got from the library. - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2009 Hugo Award Winner)
8. ✔ Read a book originally published in the 1980s OR a book that is outside an author’s usual genre (example: David Baldacci is known for his adult thriller books, but he also writes books for children). Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Books:

1. Two Weeks with a SEAL by Theresa Marguerite Hewitt
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2009 Hugo Award Winner) 
3. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
4. Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec
5. One Sweet Moment by Maggie Craig 
6. An Unlikely Match by Barbara Dunlop 
7. Vinter-Eventyr by Karen Blixen 
8. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs

Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2 Start

Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2 hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

Believe it or not, February is almost over, and that means it's RaT time again! Our next RaT will begin at 12:01am Wednesday, February 26, and continue until midnight on Tuesday, March 4, a total of seven days. (Use your local time for start/end times.) We're hoping that this will help you finish your February reading lists/challenges and get a head start on next month's reading!

Again, our goals for this RaT will be to:
(1) complete any challenges ending in February that you haven't finished yet and start on March's challenges (when appropriate) and/or
(2) work on that pile of library books that's waiting for your attention and/or
(3) read anything you want to read, just because!

If none of these goals fit your reading plan, then create your own goal and let us know what you plan to accomplish :) As you read, be sure to check in here and let us know what you've read, how it fits your goals, how you rate the book, and anything else you want to tell us about it!

Who's in? What do you plan to read?  

I have joined this RaT with option 1, as I have 2½ books that I need to finish in February and then I will hopefully be able to read a few books for March in the second half of this challenge but those choices might changes.

The books I need to read in February:

1. Shadow of night by Deborah Harkness (I have started it but I need to finish) - For the February part of Key Word and Motif challenges.
2. Night of Purple Moon by Scott Cramer - For RRRC Pass the Parcel.
3. Speechless by Hannah Harrington - For the February part of Jumble Your Genres.

The books I would like to read for March:

1. Forever Fae by L.P. Dover - for the March part of Key Word and Motif challenges.
2. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh - for the February part of Jumble Your Genres.
3. Hell of a Journey: On Foot Through the Scottish Highlands in Winter by Mike Cawthorne
4. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs 

Nothing but Reading Challenges - Book Buffs’ Battleship

Book Buffs’ Battleship hosted by Nothing but Reading Challenges on Goodreads.

DURATION: This will be a month-long team challenge starting Friday, March 7th and ending Friday, April 4th. It is a simplified version of the popular game Battleship.

The size of each team will depend on the number of players joining. (We’re guessing there will probably be between four to six players per team.)

RULES: You must be able to read a book a week to participate in this challenge. If you cannot commit to at least one book a week, please do not sign-up for this challenge.

PAGE COUNT: Books read must be 160 pages or more in length, as determined by the most popular edition posted on GRs. Audiobook are fine. Please, no graphic novels.

GENRES & CARDS: Each team will be given a card like the following one, indicating y axis (letters) and x axis (numbers).:

 

The twenty-five genres listed below will be placed randomly by the Mods of NBRC and will be different for each team.

Each Team Captain will be messaged their team’s card and they will need to forward it to their team members, or even better, set up their own GRs group to discuss their strategy. If your profile is set to private, you will need to be friends with your Team Captain and the Mod Account.

DO NOT share your card with other teams!

A new card will be offered to a team half way through the competition, at which time the team may decide to stick with the original or use the new one. This decision must be made before a challenging team makes their call on a receiving teams’ board.

1. BA = Biography/Autobiography
2. CL = Chick Lit
3. CS = Classics
4. CO = Contemporary (generally after World War II)
5. C = Crime
6. CBS = Current Best Seller
7. FY = Fantasy
8. F = Fiction
9. HF = Historical Fiction
10. HY = History
11. H = Horror
12. HU = Humorous /Humor
13. MC = Mystery - Cozy
14. MH = Mystery – Historical
15. NA = New Adult
16. NF = Non Fiction
17. P = Paranormal
18. RC = Romance - Contemporary
19. RH = Romance - Historical
20. SF = Science Fiction
21. SI = Spirituality / Inspirational
22. S = Suspense
23. T = Thriller
24. UF = Urban Fantasy
25. YA = Young Adult

 This sounds interesting, I am looking forward to get going March 7th.

My main genres:
7. FY = Fantasy
17. P = Paranormal
20. SF = Science Fiction
24. UF = Urban Fantasy
25. YA = Young Adult

Books read:

1. Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs   
2. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison  
3. A Clockwork Christmas by J.K. Coi, P.G. Forte, Stacy Gail, Jenny Schwartz  
4. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs 

2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII Finished

2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews.

Welcome to the 2014 What an Animal Reading Challenge VII.  The challenge will begin on January 1st. Read on for more details...
The rules are really simple...
1. Read at least 6 books that have any of the following requirements:

a. there is an animal in the title of the book

b. there is an animal on the cover of the book

c. an animal plays a major role in the book

d. a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like).
***** AMENDED:
Level 1 - Read up to 6 books
Level 2 - Read 7-12
Level 3 - Read 13 or more
2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragon, mermaid, centaur, vampire, werewolf...you get the idea...

3. Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. That’s a full year to read at least 6 books (you can read more if you’d like). 

4. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.

5. You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.

6. Book titles may be swapped out at anytime (assuming you made a list to begin with).

7. Crossovers with other challenges are permitted and encouraged.

8. You don't have to have a blog or write a review, but you can if you want to.
 If you don't have a blog, just post in the comment section that you'd like to join. You can post your books in there. Or you can sign up by joining my group on Goodreads for this challenge by clicking here.
9. Books can be in any format of your choice (print, audio, ebooks)

My goal for this challenge was level 1 - Read up to 6 books. As I guessed, most of the books I have read for this challenge have been shapeshifter books.

I have completed my goal and I have read 8 books.

All posts for this challenge are HERE.

List of Books:

1. A little Christmas Magic by Sylvie Kurtz (dog on cover and part of story)
2. Brazen by Kelley Armstrong  (Main character is a werewolf)
3. Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris (Hellhound in title) 
4. John Macnab by John Buchan (book about poaching) 
5. The Rising by Kelley Armstrong  (main character changes into a cougar) 
6. Curran POV Collection by Gordon Andrews (main character changes into a Lion)
7. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews (main character is a shapeshifter)
8. Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews (Lion head on cover, most characters are shapeshifters)

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap… From Goodreads.





Another brilliant book in the Kate Daniels series, the only fault of this book is that I now have to wait for the next book to be published. Kate and Curran and a group of shapeshifters go to Europe to help to arbitrate a dispute between different packs. But nothing is what it seems. I have borrowed most of this series from the library but I will most likely buy the next book so I can get my hands on it the minute it is published.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII
Shifter Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (I)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (#6)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-eagle)

What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte

Bored administrative assistant, Tessa Golden, is trapped in a life of lousy weather, irritating bosses, and mind-numbing secretarial work. Her dreams of being an artist have rapidly deteriorated into building things out of paperclips while on hold with tech support. To make matters even worse, the love of her life has gone off and married another woman.
So when Tessa is suddenly transferred to the Las Vegas branch of her company - playing wingwoman to her freshly divorced boss, juggling a client from hell, and catching the eye of one very eligible coworker - will her life finally be shaken up enough to straighten itself out? From Goodreads.

I enjoyed this more than expected and there were quite a few funny elements in it. Her best friend and love of her life, that she can't have as he is married, seems nice but turns out to be a jerk. Of course the story is predictable but that is okay.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (194 pages)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (chick lit)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (L)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (W-hawk)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge

Becoming by Kelley Armstrong

This free online graphic novella tells the story of Elena’s “becoming” a werewolf—that dark period from the time Clay bites her through her escape to Toronto. From Goodreads.

This is a short 28 page graphic novella. I really liked it but I think it is important to read the book Bitten by Kelley Armstrong first as everything makes more sense then.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (28 pages)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (graphic novel)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

London constable and apprentice Peter Grant suspects sorcery when Soho area musicians drop dead, their brain scans showing magical draining. Victim Cyrus left girlfriend Simone, who beds Peter. His dad "Lord Grant" taught him jazz, but master mage DCI Nightingale still recuperates, and a Pale Lady bites off essential bits for an animal chimera slave ring. From Goodreads.

I read the first book in this series over 6 months ago and finally got around to reading this one now. It continues where the first one stopped, meaning Peter's friend Lesley and his boss are still recuperating after their injuries. I like Urban fantasy and Ben Aaronvitch does it well. Just when you think you know the plot and answers there is a twist. I already have the next book in this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (urban fantasy)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought 24th of August 2013)
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (P)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Paranormal activity)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge (London)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (B-badger)

Honeymoon For One by Chris Keniston

To escape local gossip, jilted bride Michelle Bradford embarks on her honeymoon cruise — alone. Coaxed by a thrill seeking hunk she never expects to see again, she slowly sheds her good girl persona to have some well deserved fun.
But unlike Vegas, what happens on the high seas doesn't always stay there. From Goodreads.

It is an okay romance. A short, quick read. Nothing special and no surprises.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (180 pages)
What’s In A Name 2014 (number written in letters)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (C)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (K-gecko)

The Highlander's Hope by Cali MacKay

When Dr. Catriona Ross discovers clues to a long lost highland treasure, her only hope of finding the jewels is to obtain the help of Scotland's most eligible bachelor and playboy, Iain MacCraigh.
Iain can't believe his luck when he finds out the jewels are hidden away somewhere on his land-- and it doesn't hurt that the historian looking for them has curves to go with her smarts. With his brother betting the family fortune, this is the life line he desperately needs.​
The odds are against them, and with word getting out about the jewels, they're not the only ones on the hunt. Time's running out, but can they learn to trust each other, or will they lose the jewels and true love in the process? From Goodreads.







This was an okay romance with suspense. It is a quick and easy read. As I have lived in the Highlands I like most things Scottish. I liked the side character Angus and as the next book is about him and it was extremely cheap I have actually already bought it.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Read Scotland 2014
2014 Quick fix Challenge  (200 pages)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (C)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (C-gecko)

Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly roll #3

Monopoly hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

Roll #3

PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD: Read a book with at least two generations of the same family OR a book set in a place you’d like to visit OR a book in which a character’s career is essential to the story.

Heartbroken by Lisa Unger: Three generations of the same family.

Steel and Other Stories by Richard Matheson

In the title story of this collection from "New York Times" bestselling author Richard Matheson, "Steel," human boxing has been replaced by heavyweight bouts between massive robots. But that is just one of over a dozen unforgettable tales in this collection, which includes two new stories never before published in book form. From Goodreads.

This was definitely not for me. Quite a variety of weird short stories of which some made a bit of sense but others didn't. I liked I am Legend and I might read other books by Richard Matheson but no more short stories.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (short stories)
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (R)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-badger)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?

Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly roll #2

Monopoly hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

Roll #2

CONNECTICUT AVENUE: Read a book with a mostly white cover OR a book whose title starts with C OR a book whose title (no sub-titles) includes at least one set of double letters, in consecutive order OR a book by an author whose first and last initials can be found in “CONNECTICUT”

Steel and Other Stories by Richard Matheson: Steel includes at least one set of double letters.

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea's whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea's former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world . .  From Goodreads.

I am so enjoying this series and though this is not a Kate book it is very good. We have met Andrea quite a bit in the other books in the series and it was nice to get a book that featured her. She is no ordinary shapeshifter, she is beastkin which is not usually a good thing but she gets away with it.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014 (award winning)
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII
Shifter Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious(I)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Sonia's bookshelf- she is a rabbit)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (G-dragonfly)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

Curran POV Collection by Gordon Andrews

Several fans volunteered to edit this Collection so that we could put it up for you with a minimum of mistakes.  We are deeply grateful to them. Thank you to Tori, Rachel, Ronnie, Malissa, Loyal, Jparrack, Lynda, Neal, Ami, Lynn, and others.
This is the entirety of the Curran POVs in chronological order.  I hope that you enjoy.  If you’re traveling, be safe and take care.  Here’s to the end of the year, and if it sucked, let’s hope next year is better. From author's webpage.

This is several episodes from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews seen from Curran's point of view. I think it is important to have read the books first in order to know what is going on in each episode. It is great to read Curran's take on, among others, when he and Kate met. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII
Shifter Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews

A dinner date after a hard day at work sounds heavenly. Of course, when that date is between the Beast Lord and Kate Daniels, things don’t go as planned. Before you know it, undead are running amok, heads are being chopped off, lawyers are deployed and used with extreme prejudice, and drunk vikings are calling people out. From Goodreads.

Kate and Curran have to save a boy, this involves the People with their vampires, the Vikings and a nasty mythological creature. Very enjoyable.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (100 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews

From New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes a tale of darkness, desire, and werecats.
Alpha Pack leader Jim Shrapshire has always been the strong, silent type. But something has come over him--a magic force currently residing in one of the Pack's headquarters. Were-tigress Dali Harimau has always wished she could get Jim's attention--but now he needs her help.
Stricken with a magic-sickness, Jim needs Dali's flair for magic. And to save him, she must challenge a powerful, dark being to a battle of wits. From Goodreads.

Another great short story from Ilona Andrews. Dali is a strange character, a near blind were-tiger who is a vegetarian. Very unusual. Jim the strong Alpha security chief who has worked with Kate for years. This is the story where they get together. Well written.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (86 pages)
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Magic Graves by Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews

New York Times bestselling authors Jeaniene Frost and Ilona Andrews bring you two short stories of paranormal.
Jeaniene Frost's story, One For the Money, features vampires Cat and Bones trying to protect a spoiled heiress with a price on her head and an undead hitman on her trail. Previously published in Death's Excellent Vacation. Also includes the first three chapters from Jeaniene's story in The Bite Before Christmas anthology, as well as a sneak peak at ONCE BURNED, the first novel in the new Night Prince series.
Ilona Andrews story, A Questionable Client, is a prequel to her award-winning Kate Daniels series. In a world beset by magic waves, Kate Daniels works as a mercenary. She is tired, hungry, and there is foul-smelling blood on her boots. All she wants to do is to go home, but when Mercenary Guild offers her a job she can't refuse, she find herself protecting a man against Russian wizards. Previously published in Dark and Stormy Knights. Also includes first two chapters of FATE'S EDGE, book 3 in the Edge series, and first two chapters of Magic Grieves, a Kate Daniels novella. From Goodreads.

I read this for A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews. I really enjoyed finding out how Kate met Saiman who is a very interesting character in the series.
If it had only been this story I would have given it 5 Polar Bears but I also read One for the Money by Jeaniene Frost which wasn't as good. Also I don't like when books contain the first chapters of an author's other books. I didn't read these.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (144 pages)
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014 

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best- but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option—even if the task is impossible.
Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break. From Goodreads.

I read a short story, a prequel to this book, in Must Love Hellhounds and decided I wanted to try the series. It was good and I like Elena. I have already ordered the next book from the library and will hopefully get it in March.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (S)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Rat - series #1)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Ten Book Author Train Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (N-dragonfly)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2014 Finished

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon hosted by Michelle @ The True Book Addict.

This didn't go as well as I had hoped but the way the second part of the week turned out I am pleased I read 2½ books.

As usual though I have enjoyed being part of A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon. Thank you Michelle for hosting.

My books:

1. Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison (I finished the last 228 pages)
2. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison    
3. An Apple for the Creature edited by Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner