Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge - finished

December-January Mini Challenge hosted by A Million More Pages on Goodreads.

This is part of Hogwarts challenge.
My goal was 20 books including the ones I could add from back dating. I did have to upgrade and in the end 42 of the books I read since 9th of November fit this challenge.

DURATION: November 9, 2014 - February 1, 2015

Read The First Letter of Your House.

(Please make sure you have been sorted into a house, before you sign up.)

Your Bookshelf will need to reflect which House you belong too.

Earn .05 points for Each book Read for your House.
Earn .01 points for Each book Read from another House.

*Ravenclaw:(R)
*Slytherin:(S)
*Hufflepuff:(H)
*Gryffindor:(G)

Titles and Authors Initials will count.

My Goodreads post.
Books:

Ravenclaw:
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Reckless by Cornelia Funke
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Red Stilettos by Ruth Joseph
Murder Most Witchy by Emily Rylands
Forever Charmed by Rose Pressey
The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain
Fatal Boarding by E.R. Mason
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Sapphire of the Fairies by Richard S. Tuttle
In Search of a Love Story by Rachel Schurig

G:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Glade Jul, 24 dejlige danske julenoveller edited by Michael Toubro

S:
The Warlock by Michael Scott
The Enchantress by Michael Scott
California Man by E.C. Sheedy
The Circus Is Coming by Noel Streatfeild
Introvert by Anna Skyggebjerg
Sun Kissed by Skyla Madi
A Season of Angels by Debbie Macomber
Starry Night by Debbie Macomber
The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
Into Your Arms by Abigail Strom
Summer of Change by Elena Aitken
The Spirit of A Witch by Sarah Jane Avory 
Blood Echo by Melissa Simonson
Shenanigans by T.B. Bond
Secrets of the Heart by Laurie LeClair
Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs

H:
Den sidste stjerne by Hans Blangstrup Christensen
Driven to Date by Susan Hatler
Head Over Halo by Molly Snow
A Christmas Charade by Karla Hocker
Unicorn Bait by S.A. Hunter
How to be a Ghost by Audrey Claire
Driving Home for Christmas by Emma Hannigan
Pretty in Black by Rae Hachton
Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck 

Born in Fire by Nora Roberts

Maggie and Brianna Concannon are very different. The calm and gentle Brie seems able to weather any storm, even the constant criticism that rains down on them both from their mother, but Maggie is a passionate and fiery artist whose temper is as bold as her art. Their mother's bitterness is a mystery to the sisters. until secrets from the past challenge everything they've come to believe.
It's Maggie's skill as a glass blower that brings Rogan Sweeney, the international gallery owner, to her small cottage in County Clare. 
His interest in her is purely professional, until their personalities clash and sparks begin to fly... As her career takes off, how will Maggie cope with the heat of the spotlight and feelings for Rogan that she would rather ignore? From the back of the book.




This was very good, not just a quick romance. There is a lot about family and what makes Maggie who she is and why she has decided never to marry. The relationships with her father, mother and sister are all very interesting. Rogan is a successful businessman and thinks he can keep business and private life separate but of course that is impossible. I will try to get the next in the series from the library. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue round 4
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Read your age
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2015

Hired by the Cowboy by Donna Alward

Alexis Grayson is good at looking after herself-she's been doing it all her life. So what if she's alone and pregnant? She'll cope! But gorgeous cowboy Connor Madsen seems determined to take care of her. And Alexis can help him-he needs a temporary wife; she needs somewhere to live until the baby's born. A short-term marriage will solve all their difficulties!
As Alexis gets to know the courageous, honorable Connor, she realizes that she might have made the biggest mistake of her life. Because all this wife-for-hire wants is a marriage for real! From Goodreads.

This was an easy, quick read. Predictable but sweet.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (1/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2015

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed for ever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard! From Goodreads.

I can't even remember when I read this for the first time but looking in my old paperback it was bought for me in 2000 and I am sure I read it right away. This book is still just as good as the first time I read it. Not the same surprises of course but instead I can look forward to things like all the letters arriving, Hagrid turning up and not least the friendship developing between Harry, Ron and Hermione.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (3/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2015

In Search of a Love Story by Rachel Schurig

Emily Donovan doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body.
At least, that’s what her friends Ryan and Ashley keep telling her. They’re convinced her bad luck with men is directly related to her life-long lack of interest in all things romantic. When Emily’s latest relationship crashes and burns, she decides to go along with her friends’ plans for a romance research project. Sure, the idea that she’ll have better luck if she learns about the great romances of literature and film seems a little silly, but Emily figures it can’t hurt.
In no time at all, Emily finds herself buried under a mountain of romance novels, chick flicks, and sappy love songs, hopeful that her hard work will pay off with true love. When she meets Greg, Ashley and Ryan are convinced she’s found prince charming—after all, he’s rich, handsome, and totally into Emily. What more could she want? And why does it seem that her friend Elliot isn’t exactly happy for her?
Faced with misunderstandings, miscommunications, and a seemingly endless string of missteps, she is nevertheless determined to give true love a try. In doing so, Emily will eventually find that true romance, the kind that lasts, has little to do with stereotypes or clichés, and everything to do with finding out what’s in her own heart. From Goodreads.

Emily is, with the help of her friends, trying to find true love. This was quite a funny chick-lit romance. Emily is of course not seeing what is right in front of her. I liked her interaction with her Physical Therapist patients.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (3/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue round 4
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?

Sapphire of the Fairies by Richard S. Tuttle

The sky is dark. Neither the sun nor the moon have been seen in decades. The land is fruitless, and the seas are barren. No law exists, only the rule of might is exerted over a hapless people by those who can wield it. In a land of darkness and despair, there is one shining light, an ancient prophecy that foretells of the coming king and his companion, the vanquisher of evil.Sapphire of the Fairies is the first of seven volumes of the epic fantasy series Sword of Heavens. Explore a vast continent where elves, dwarves, unicorns, fairies, demons, dragons, and man all exist. Sapphire of the Fairies begins the saga of five humans on the verge of adulthood. Living in a land where no one can be trusted, these five adventurers must restore the magical Sword of Heavens and defeat the Evil One, an evil sorcery whose minions roam the world in an attempt to defeat the ancient prophecy.Discover a world of magic and intrigue created by Richard S. Tuttle, called "one of this century's leading authors of innovative fantasy tales." Volume 1 of Sword of Heavens. From Goodreads.

The start of the book was very slow. The blurb had me expecting something completely different and not the slow character building of four of the young main characters. It wasn't bad, I just didn't expect it. After a while the adventure picks up and at the end of the story things are revealed about several of the characters. I might continue this series at a later date.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
The Challenge Factory - R5: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (2/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
Crazy Challenge Connection Read your age

Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs

Mercy Thompson’s world just got a whole lot bigger…
A collection of all-new and previously published short stories featuring Mercy Thompson, “one of the best heroines in the urban fantasy genre today” (Fiction Vixen Book Reviews), and the characters she calls friends…
Includes the new stories…
“Silver”
“Roses in Winter”
“Redemption”
“Hollow”
…and reader favorites
“Fairy Gifts”
“Gray”
“Alpha and Omega”
“Seeing Eye”
“The Star of David”
“In Red, with Pearls” From Goodreads.

This was really good and it made me want to re-read this series and fit these stories in at the right time. I like Mercy but it was interesting to hear more about the characters around her from their own point of view. Silver was one of my favourites as this tells how bran and Samuel became were-wolves.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Audiobook challenge
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (1/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
Novel Books & Reading Challenges - Baby Got Book

Secrets of the Heart by Laurie LeClair

Secrets to hide...
A child to protect...
Forbidden love...
For years, Bree Hansen has fought to keep two things safe: Her daughter and her secret. Both are in jeopardy now that sexy cop Nick Carletti wants his family back. She’ll do anything to protect her secret. She has for years along with her forbidden feelings for Nick. He knows she’s hiding something and wants the truth. Getting to the bottom of it will give him what he wants, but at what price?
How can Nick and Bree make a life together when he feels as if he’s betraying his dead son, can’t trust Bree, and has lost faith in everything, especially himself?
Can Bree and Nick get what they want or will their forbidden past and growing feelings for each other expose too many secrets to heal their hearts?  From Goodreads.


This was a quick read. It wasn't great but it was okay. It all centres around some secrets. It was way too easy too guess the secret and then it was just about waiting to see where it all went from there. This was the second book I read by this author and both were just okay.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (4/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more. From Goodreads.

This was a very good read. I like the story about the curse and also that it is not that easy to break the curse. I had a small problem with the Indiana Jones references at the first part of the adventure but okay I just hope the author doesn't make more in the next books. I did like getting to know a bit of the Indian culture though it was quite basic and stuff I had heard of before. It is a sweet romance between Kelsey and Ren. This is YA and therefore an easy quick read.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
What's in a Name 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: ELF of the SHELF
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (1/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Handling the Horcruxes
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Nine Months of Nines
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick Your Fate Adventure Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue round 4
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
Novel Books & Reading Challenges - Baby Got Book

Pretty in Black by Rae Hachton

Some Things are Pretty. Some Things are Black. Love is both. The sun faded and night began to descend. The sky was a deep navy blue. Marcus sat his violin aside and dropped to one knee, as though he were about to propose. His eyes flickered with seriousness. He took my hand into his. "Ellie, would you frolic in the land of forever with me?"
The Violin
A troubled, suicidal teen meets a mysterious guy in a cemetery who has an unquenchable thirst for her love...and her life.
An evermore saves a girl he was ordered to kill, and as a dangerous romance begin between the two, his wish is for her to join him in eternity.
The Pretty in Black Quartet  
Ellie Piper
She wanted to die. He arose from the grave. He was sent to kill her. She was trained to kill those of his kind. But fate had other plans. He searched for 119 years to find her. & There's no way in hell he's letting her go. Dead or Alive. They're fated.
Marcus Marble
How far would you go to be with the one you love? Would you die for her? Would you kill for her? What if the only reason you're still alive is because of her? What if the reason you came back from the dead, was to be with her? But what if your job was to kill her, but you fell in love instead? And now you're being hunted by your own kind?
Destroy? Or be Destroyed?
This is just the beginning. From Goodreads.

I am not a fussy reader, I like most kinds of books. I give a lot of 3 and 4 Polar Bears but it is very seldom I give only 1 Polar Bear. Unfortunately this book does not deserve more than that.
It is boring and full of stuff that is not explained. A Man comes up to Ellie, he throws a knife at her that she avoids. He continues to tell her she is the chosen one and she has to kill monsters. He throws her a bag of knives and she accepts!! Eh what!!
This was free and it was not worth it.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
What's in a Name 2015
The Challenge Factory - R5: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (2/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt 

Driving Home for Christmas by Emma Hannigan

The perfect festive read for fans of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly and Patricia Scanlan
Christmas at Huntersbrook House has always been a family tradition - log fires, long walks through the snowy fields and evenings spent in the local pub. And this year the three grown-up Craig children are looking forward to the holidays more than ever. Pippa to escape her partying lifestyle and mounting debts in Dublin; Joey the demands of his gorgeous girlfriend who seems intent on coming between him and his family; and Lainey to forget about her controlling ex and his recent engagement to another woman.
But with the family livery yard in financial trouble, this Christmas could be the Craig family's last at Huntersbrook as they face the prospect of selling the ancestral house.
As the holiday season gets underway, the family need to come up with a way to save their home, and face the problems they've been running away from in Dublin. And what better place to figure things out than around the fire at Huntersbrook House?

This was really good. Yes it is set at Christmas but it is more a book about the relationships within the family. Pippa, Joey and Lainey are three very different personalities and that is shown in the way they interact. But I also like that it is not a totally dysfunctional family, it more or less seems like an ordinary family with the kind of problems that are found in a lot of "normal" families.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
What's in a Name 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (7/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Handling the Horcruxes
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt

Shenanigans by T.B. Bond

Meet Edward Richards. She’s your typical girl (if you overlook the fact that she has a man’s name and is a succubus), but when she meets Jackson Loren everything changes. Jackson is hot, fun, and stubborn. He always has an argument for why he should get his way and Edward is having trouble disagreeing. When their first date goes horribly wrong both of them are forever changed.
Fast forward four years and the two of them reconnect. Things heat up with a series of hijinks, interfering sisters, and a supernatural body-switching governess. All the two of them want is to just go on a simple date and be normal in this tale of love, sex, and magic. From Goodreads.

This was okay but it is at the very low end of three stars. I like the family in this one. Father is human but very special and basically has 6 daughters with 6 different paranormal women. All the girls live with him and have male names. Edward the main character of this book is a succubus but she is young and does not kill people. But because of her, Jackson got turned into a werewolf. 4 years later they meet again and are drawn to each other.
The story didn't feel finished and I am sure that Edward and Jackson's story will continue in the next book though according to the blurb it is one of Edward's sisters and Jackson's room-mate that are going to be the main characters of that book.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SS
The Challenge Factory - R5: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (4/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue round 4

Blood Echo by Melissa Simonson

Obsession is the dark side of love.
Iris Avery and her best friend, Estella, spend their time drowning in the empty excesses indulged in by their crowd of Upper East Side snobs until Estella’s sudden, shocking death.
Iris searches for answers in everything from philanthropy to hypnotherapy, feeling her existence is nothing more than a dark half-life full of guilt and repentance, but finds only endless questions. And several of them revolve around her when she discovers she’s connected to a high-profile murder.
Later, Iris begins hearing Estella’s voice whispering cryptic commentary in her head, and she can’t help but wonder if the hypnotherapy has been helping or hurting. Is her friend trying to warn her about something?
Bizarre packages pile up on her doorstep, and their meaning is obvious: Iris’s secrets aren’t so secret after all. From Goodreads.


This was very different from what I expected from the blurb. I expected a thriller with a slight paranormal aspect and a grief stricken girl, nothing too much out of the ordinary. This is full of weird twists and turns and I never guessed the ending till very close to the end and before that it had me guessing like mad about who could be the murderer.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R5: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (3/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Handling the Horcruxes
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members

How to be a Ghost by Audrey Claire

Divorced mom Liberty "Libby" Grace works as an elementary school teacher and has no social life to speak of. The most she has to worry about is finding a way to fix a leaky faucet without a budget for a plumber. The next thing Libby knows she’s standing at the foot of her son’s bed completely see-through!
Libby can’t remember what happened to her. Is she dead? She doesn’t know for sure because she can’t find her body, and the last place she remembers being, the local hardware store, instead of her own body, she finds the corpse of the store’s owner, husband to the mayor of her small town.
In order to solve the mystery surrounding her disappearance, Libby must figure out who killed George Walsh. Along the way, she gets help from her reclusive neighbor, Ian McClain, who has a secret of his own. From Goodreads.




This was interesting. It basically starts with Libby suddenly being a ghost. It is a murder-mystery but it is not Libby who has been killed. According to her neighbour she is not quite dead yet and has to find her body if she wants to survive. There are some interesting characters, especially her neighbour Ian who is not quite human.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (4/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members

The Spirit of A Witch by Sarah Jane Avory

Ever wondered what it would be like to truly understand a cat, every last meow, every narrowed glance, every jab of a paw?
When Briley Forester, a shy recluse and gifted games programmer, is torn from the world and dumped into the village of Maepole, she finds out the hard way. Trapped within a backward world without technology, she discovers that being a witch is hard, and that her grouchy talking cat Smokey knows more about men than she does!
Tricked into working as a delivery girl and aided by an ancient grimoire, only by learning the powers of witchcraft can she hope to return home. Not an easy task for a girl suffering from crippling self-doubt.
But her way home is fraught with heartache and danger, love and despair. The powerful Whitehead family, haters of witches, will stop at nothing to be rid of her.
And lurking within the forest, the dark spirit lies in wait, ready to strike... From Goodreads.



This was a fun and quick read. Although Briley is quite whiny she does get on with the job as delivery girl she is forced to take when she is pulled through to another world during a meditation session. She has difficulties accepting she is a witch but has to accept it and she starts using spells. She loves her cat Smokey who she suddenly can talk to in this new world and they have a very special bond. There is the usual fight between good and evil and luckily good wins.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: ELF of the SHELF
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (8/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Handling the Horcruxes
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members

Summer of Change by Elena Aitken

With the Springs resort set to open in mere weeks, Trent Harrison needs to stay focused and see to every detail. The last thing he needs is a complication, even one that comes in the form of sexy bar owner, Samantha Burke.
Samantha loves her quiet close-knit community of Cedar Springs, just the way it is. The addition of a fancy new resort as well as its arrogant owner, and the change they’re both sure to bring, is certainly not welcome.
With Trent pushing his way into her town, and her life, Samantha’s resistance to him wavers in the face of the passion and heat they share. Change is inevitable, but can either of them drop their guard long enough to accept it when there’s so much on the line? From Goodreads.





This was an okay romance. It is a short and quick read. Both Trent and Samantha are very likable and so are the characters around them. The end of the book sets the scene for who is going to be the MC in the next book.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (7/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Handling the Horcruxes
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard. From Goodreads.

I enjoyed this. It starts with us meeting Kvothe as an innkeeper and it hints at him having done great things. The way it is told I am not sure whether it is good or evil great things. Then Kvothe starts telling his story and in this book 1, it is his childhood and life as a young adult he tells about. I have already ordered the next book from the library as I would really like to continue reading this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges (7/9)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Handling the Horcruxes
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
Novel Books & Reading Challenges - Baby Got Book

The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain

GUARDIANS INC.: THE CYPHER is two stories in one. A glimpse into a multinational company that is in reality the oldest of secret societies, one that spans close to seven thousand years of existence, weaving in and out of history, guiding and protecting humanity from creatures and forces that most of us believe are only mythology and fairy tales.
The other is the story of Thomas Byrne, a young man thrust into secrets he shouldn’t be aware of and dangers he shouldn’t face but, that he ultimately will, for he is a Cypher. The only one who can steer humanity’s future.
The ultimate conspiracy theory is that Magic is real. Kept in check by technology but, every five hundred years the balance can shift and, if it does, technology will fail and those creatures we’ve driven into myth will come back with a vengeance.
To protect the present, Guardians Incorporated needs to know the future. From Goodreads.



This was better than I expected. It is a Young Adult book as the main character is only 15-16 years old. What I liked about Thomas was that he wasn't as such a recluse as is often seen but as he has just changed school he didn't have any friends either. The relationship between Thomas and his grandfather is very strong as he has lived with him since his parents disappeared. It is full of mythical and magical creatures. It is a bit similar to "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" by Michael Scott.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Castle Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages - Dorothy Must Die! Mini Challenge

Forever Charmed by Rose Pressey

Halloween Laveau is descended from a long line of witches. Yes, her name is Halloween. The cosmic universe is definitely playing some kind of sick joke on her. She’s the ultimate witch cliché, complete with a black cat and spooky house. Thank heavens she’s missing the warts and flying broom.
When Halloween inherits her great-aunt’s manor, she decides to put the house to good use as a bed-and-breakfast. Her first guest is the sinfully good-looking Nicolas Marco, but he’s not here for the continental breakfast. Halloween discovers a ratty old book in the attic. It’s written in an unfamiliar language, and unknown to her, the tome is cursed.
Halloween soon learns there’s a link between the book and her newfound talent as a necromancer. But her new skills come with a catch: the reanimated dead aren’t as cupcake-sweet as they were when they were alive. When a rival witch comes after the book, Halloween doesn’t know who to trust–the sexy vampire who says he wants to save the day, or the warlock who says he can destroy the book once and for all.
Halloween had better learn fast. Because when the dead start rising, only a powerful witch can put them back under. From Goodreads.

This was okay but no more. Halloween is not a very good witch till she inherits a house from her aunt and finds a special spellbook and suddenly she is incredible. Two gorgeous men turn up, they both say the want to help her but neither of them is telling her everything. I will only continue this series if I can find the next book for free.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory - R5: Team Challenge SSS
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Castle Scavenger Hunt

Into Your Arms by Abigail Strom

Sara Minetti isn't looking for love. As a professional ballet dancer, she won't let anything get in the way of her demanding career. So when a sexy stranger moves into the apartment next door, she's sure she can ignore the sizzling chemistry between them.
Nick Landry is busy with a tough political campaign and a brother who needs his help. He's only in New York for a few months, and romance is the last thing he's looking for. But he can't stop thinking about the beautiful dancer next door...or the day he caught her in her underwear.
Nick and Sara are fighting a losing battle against an attraction they can't deny. The only question is, will they lose their hearts, too? From Goodreads.

I really liked this romance. Sara and Nick are both very driven within their fields, maybe too much. They both have baggage and issues all the way back to their childhood to deal with but of course everything works out. I really like Emilio, Sara's dance partner and very good friend, who supported her through the whole book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Castle Scavenger Hunt