2014 Women Challenge Finished

2014 Women Challenge hosted by Peek a booK!.

Welcome to the second edition of the “Women Challenge”!
This challenge will make us want to read more books of any kind written by women, so choose whatever you like and get involved!
Set your level and, if you like, leave me a comment on this post listing your three favourite women writers, in order to suggest new names to other participants as well.
Here are mine (they are just the first ones coming to my mind):
* Simone De Beauvoir
* Fannie Flagg
* Joanne Harris  

Rules:

* anyone can join;
* you don't need a blog to partecipate: if you are a non-blogger please leave a comment with a link (if you review elsewhere) to your review or with the list of the books you read and the level you choose;
* audio, e-books, bound books and re-reads are ok;
* create a sign up post on your blog and post the link in the Linky below (scroll down please, it's at the end of the italian translation);
* challenge goes from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014;
* here you can link for your reviews.

Levels:

Level 1: BABY GIRL - read 5 books written by a woman author
Level 2: GIRLS POWER - read 6 to 15 books written by a woman author
Level 3: SUPER GIRL - read 16 to 20 books written by a woman author
Level 4: WONDER WOMAN - read 20+ books written by a woman author

It's never too late to join!

Have fun and good luck! :)

My goal for this challenge was to reach Level 4: WONDER WOMAN - read 20+ books written by a woman author.  
I knew I was going to reach it quite early as a lot of my books are written by women. I have now read 23 books and have finished. 2 of these 23 books, the ones by Ilona Andrews are not quite right as they are written by her and her husband.

List of books:

1. An Unlikely Witch by Debora Geary 
2. A little Christmas Magic by Sylvie Kurtz
3. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews  
4. Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews 
5. Brazen by Kelley Armstrong  
6. Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson 
7. Himmelbegravelsen (Sky Burial) by Xinran
8. Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook
9. Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford 
10. Unexpected Gifts by Elena Aitken
11. The Rising by Kelley Armstrong  
12. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
13. Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
14. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
15. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh  
16. The Highlander's Hope by Cali MacKay 
17. Honeymoon For One by Chris Keniston 
18. What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte
19. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
20. Speechless by Hannah Harrington 
21. Forever Fae by L.P. Dover
22. Two Weeks with a SEAL by Theresa Marguerite Hewitt
23. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel, Raphael, is used to being in control—especially when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority.
They've barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel, Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena. From Goodreads.





This series is getting more interesting. Elena has been made an angel, the first in a very very long time and not everybody is happy. Elena also has to fight the nightmares from her childhood that is haunting her. It is not easy being both hunter-born and now also an angel. I will try and get the next book from the library some time next week.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014 (urban fantasy)
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (AndaM's bookshelf - she is a ox)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (E-coyote)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2
Dansk Readathon March 2014

Two Weeks with a SEAL by Theresa Marguerite Hewitt

Rhea Griggs has had a hard life. Growing up with an abusive father who's now in jail, her older brother, Randy, was a source of strength, along with his best friend Chad, who Rhea has been in love with since childhood. When her brother and Chad go off in the Navy, eventually becoming SEALs, Rhea thinks she'll never be with Chad. What she doesn't know is that Chad has loved her for just as long, keeping his feelings at bay out of respect and fear of his best friend.
When heartbreak strikes Rhea, Chad knows he has to let her know how he feels or lose her forever to a no good redneck. Can two weeks be enough time to bring their hearts together as they should be? Can Rhea handle what comes with loving a SEAL? From Goodreads.

Unfortunately another just okay romance. Rhea and Chad have loved each other since they were children just never told each other as such. It is rather predictable, of course they get around to saying it. Then there is the "bad guy", Rhea's on-off one night stand who suddenly, but not very convincingly, wants her. It's emotional and is also a lot about loss.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (T)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Amy's bookshelf - she is a dog)
Crazy Challenge Connection - Dr. Seuss
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (T-coyote)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2
Dansk Readathon March 2014

Forever Fae by L.P. Dover

He leans down, lips parted, and then our lips connect... We didn’t know that this one kiss has FOREVER changed the Land of the Fae.
According to the Prophecy proclaimed many years ago, Princess Calista of the Summer Court is destined to change the Land of the Fae from the evil determined to destroy it. Her powers are phenomenal, and she secretly trains for battle with her handsome warrior friend, Merrick, who unbeknownst to her protects her heart as well, in hopes of keeping it for himself. At least, until the seductive Prince Ryder attends the Guardian Ceremony and instantly sends a fire burning through her veins and a connection so deep they both discover a love above anything imaginable.
No one knows how Calista is destined to change the kingdoms, but there is one that does. He not only craves Calista’s power, but her body as well, and his goal is to steal her power, make her his Dark Queen, and take over the Land of the Fae.
Will the evil succeed in claiming Calista’s soul? Or will the two men that fight for her heart save her from despair, and help her fulfill her destiny to become what she was meant to be. From Goodreads.

This was okay but no more than that. I like to read about the Fae and usually the Summer and Winter Courts are at each others throats but not here, so there is really only one enemy. The rest is two men wanting the same girl. It was very predictable and I don't think I will continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought 4th of June 2013)
What’s In A Name 2014 (A reference to time)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.co.uk 4th of June 2013)
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (L)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (F-dragonfly)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2
Dansk Readathon March 2014

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

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

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

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)

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 Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to possess, bed, and kill her -- not necessarily in that order.
Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. And there are those who covet what Nick possesses -- savage beasts willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary.
Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule. And suddenly more than Rachel's soul is at stake. From Goodreads.





Rachel leaves Cincinnati to go rescue Jax, a pixi and her human ex-boyfriend Nick. Nothing goes as planned. Another book I couldn't put down. I now have to wait a bit before reading the next as I have to get it from the library. It will be soon though.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (F)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (496 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (F-fox)
CCC-Read your age (published 2006)
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2014

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

There's no witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, who's already put her love life and soul in dire jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring criminal night creatures to justice.
Between "runs," she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blood-drinking partner, keeping a deadly secret from her backup, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor.
Rachel must also take a stand in the war that's raging in the city's underworld, since she helped put away its former vampire kingpin - and made a deal with a powerful demon to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.
And now her dark "master" is coming to collect his due. From Goodreads.

Book 3 of the Hollows. This series is a very enjoyable read, there is something happening all the time and I just can't put the books down. Demons are as usual tricky to deal with, vampires are not much easier. Rachel is a brilliant protagonist and I am continuing this series right away.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (E)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (501 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014 (E)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (E-badger)
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2014

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison

Rachel Morgan, sexy witch, independent bounty hunter, prowls the downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night. She can handle leather-clad vamps and a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is an ancient, implacable evil that threatens her very soul. From Goodreads.

Another series where I really liked the first book but just never got back to the series. I am glad I am back. Things just don't get easier for Rachel in this and a lot of things actually go badly. I read this book in a day starting at 3 in the afternoon and with a few breaks thrown in finished at 6.30 the next morning which for me makes it a very good read.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (more than 400 pages)
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (G)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (453 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Ten Book Author Train Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (G-badger)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge (cincinnati - Ohio)

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.
All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.
But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.
Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy. From Goodreads.


This is one of those books where I know I am going to like it as I have like the first two books in the series and the author is one of my favourite authors. I bought it in April 2013 and have had it down on lists for reading events several times but I just haven't gotten around to reading it!
Finally I have read it and just before starting I was nervous that since it is about 1½ years since I read the second, would I be able to remember the plot and characters? No problem at all.
I think Kelley Armstrong has written a brilliant end to this trilogy and knowing the Otherworld, where this is set, this was probably the best ending to expect.
Paranormal is my favourite genre and Kelley Armstrong is to me one of the best authors in this genre.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge 2014 (Main character shift into a cougar)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (book fra a series)
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII (Main character shift into a cougar)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought on Amazon.co.uk 20th of April 2013)
Shifter Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (R)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-badger)

Unexpected Gifts by Elena Aitken

Let it snow! Cozy up to the Castle Mountain Lodge in the middle of the remote Canadian Rockies for Unexpected Gifts.
Christmas represents everything Andi Williams is supposed to have, and doesn't. Running away to a remote mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies, sounds like the perfect way to escape, until a mix-up finds her sharing a villa with sexy, rough around the edges, Colin Hartford.
Colin's determination to enjoy the holiday he’s missed for the last five years, sweeps Andi into a season of joy that she’s not sure she’s ready for. Can Andi open herself up to everything the holidays have to offer...including love? From Goodreads.

This was okay. A nice cosy Christmas romance. Nothing special but an easy read with no surprises.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (136 pages)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.co.uk 13th of November 2013)
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (U)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it’s to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn’t hurt either.
Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora’s life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska. Basically she’s a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job… by hand.
Now Aurora’s only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire. And if he’s a vampire, will she be forced to kill him? From Goodreads.

This was okay but it is a low 3 Polar Bears. I didn't think much of Aurora or her friends. If the next book in the series also became free on Amazon I would maybe read it but I am not paying to read any of this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (242 pages)
Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge 2014 (a charachter in a book series - Vampire Hunter)
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.co.uk 18th of November 2013)
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 (A)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-auk)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge  (Alaska)

Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook

In these hound-eat-hound worlds, anything goes... and everything bites.
Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell.
Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non- lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment.
Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he's following-in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns.
Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind- and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.
These four novellas by today's hottest paranormal authors will have hellhound lovers everywhere howling. From Goodreads.

My reason for reading this Anthology of hellhound stories was that one of the stories is part of Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series.
All 4 stories were interesting and I enjoyed them. I am not ready to go out and buy their series from these stories but I might check to see if my library has any of them.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014 (anthology)
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII (hellhound in title)
2014 Women Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (M-musk ox)
Bout of Books 9.0

Himmelbegravelsen (Sky Burial) by Xinran

 It was 1994 when Xinran, a journalist and the author of The Good Women of China, received a telephone call asking her to travel four hours to meet an oddly dressed woman who had just crossed the border from Tibet into China. Xinran made the trip and met the woman, called Shu Wen, who recounted the story of her thirty-year odyssey in the vast landscape of Tibet.
Shu Wen and her husband had been married for only a few months in the 1950s when he joined the Chinese army and was sent to Tibet for the purpose of unification of the two countries. Shortly after he left she was notified that he had been killed, although no details were given. Determined to find the truth, Shu Wen joined a militia unit going to the Tibetan north, where she soon was separated from the regiment. Without supplies and knowledge of the language, she wandered, trying to find her way until, on the brink of death, she was rescued by a family of nomads under whose protection she moved from place to place with the seasons and eventually came to discover the details of her husband’s death.
In the haunting Sky Burial, Xinran has recreated Shu Wen’s journey, writing beautifully and simply of the silence and the emptiness in which Shu Wen was enveloped. The book is an extraordinary portrait of a woman and a land, each at the mercy of fate and politics. It is an unforgettable, ultimately uplifting tale of love loss, loyalty, and survival. From Goodreads.

I enjoyed this book, it gives an insight into Tibetan culture. Shu Wen seems like a strong woman and struggles to turn from a Chinese city woman into a Tibetan Nomad woman while searching for her husband.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Quick fix Challenge (173 pages)
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (Auto-Biography/Biography)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (from the local library)
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (X)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Author Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (X-fox)
CCC-Read your age (first published 2004)
Bout of Books 9.0

Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson

California teen Sadie James thinks her life couldn't get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she's rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won't even tell her his name. Each time the boy appears, Sadie's unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her, but as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day...why does Sadie need one? As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn't as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all. From Goodreads.




I really enjoy it when I like a free book enough to buy the next books in the series right after reading it and I have done that with this book. Sadie is a likeable teen and I am looking forward to read the next books in the series.

This book qualifies for: 
2014 Ebook challenge
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014 (young adult)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (Paranormal)
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 (blue)
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge (set in USA, I live in Denmark)
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge (secret)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought on Amazon.co.uk 28th of August 2013)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.co.uk 28th of August 2013)
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (C)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (C-coyote)
Bout of Books 9.0

Brazen by Kelley Armstrong

Nick Sorrentino knows everyone in the supernatural world considers him the Pack’s playboy, the pretty but not very useful werewolf whose only reputation involves his amorous exploits.
Usually, Nick couldn’t care less what anyone outside the Pack thinks of him. But when it affects his hunt for Malcolm Danvers, a psychotic bogeyman from the Pack’s past, it matters.
Necessity forces Nick to team up with mercenary half-demon Vanessa Callas to run Malcolm to ground in Detroit. Together, they discover Malcolm is more deadly than ever. And he wants to play.
It’s time for Nick to prove he’s not just a lover. From Goodreads.

This was an okay short story set in Kelly Armstrong's Otherworld. It is just not as good as the rest of the books but still a must read for fans of Kelly Armstrong's werewolves.

This book qualifies for: 
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (216 pages)
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII (main character is a werewolf)
Shifter Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014 
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (A)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Bout of Books 9.0