Showing posts with label NBRC - 50 state challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBRC - 50 state challenge. Show all posts

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Love, Laughter, and Murder Ever After by Jeanine Spooner

When cake kills…
Kitty Sinclair lives for love. A bold and bubbly woman just shy of thirty, Kitty has opened her own wedding planning business in elegant Greenwich, Connecticut where the blooming spring flowers and lusciously rolling hills are the perfect setting to tie the knot. If only Kitty herself could find love…
Her store Happily Ever After opens with a kick when the daughter of the notorious Duke von Winkle accepts a grand proposal from an equally wealthy suitor. It seems Kitty is in the throws of planning the wedding of the century. Finally her dream has come true.
But when the bride's father suddenly drops dead in her store, Kitty's true talents emerge. A lemon custard cake, a bottle of poison, and questions that seem to never end, Kitty follows the trail of clues, determined to solve the mystery before the bride and groom can say I do.
If she succeeds her store will thrive. If she falls short her business will be in peril. The choice is easy and her determination is strong, but one man stands in her way…
Detective Sterling Slaughter has a funny way with women. Resist though she does, his charm can be distracting… From Goodreads.


I didn't like this book. I found the main character unbelievable, I expect that in a cosy mystery but this was too much, and all in all just too silly. I am glad this was free and I am not looking for more books in this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Haunted House
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
Rawk-A-Tiers: Twelve Days of Christmas
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Nothing but Reading Challenges: 50 States Challenge 

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre. First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting;' Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own. From Goodreads.





This is defined as horror, but this book is not horror for me. Yes I can imagine the creepiness of a house like that and would probably not like to stay there but reading this book doesn't scare me at all.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter Bingo
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Guess Who?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Who is ... The Death Eater?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
Spring Into Horror 2015

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck

When Suzanne Hart buys a donut shop with her divorce settlement, she thinks that her world is finally about to settle down, but when someone dumps a body in front of Donut Hearts, she realizes that life has just gotten more complicated than she ever bargained for. To make matters worse, the killer believes that she might be able to identify him, so Suzanne must unmask the murderer before she makes her last donut!  From Goodreads.





This was okay but no more. It was very clear early on who the killer was all we needed to find out was why. It was cosy and it was full of donut recipes that I most likely will never try.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: March Challenges (4/7)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: A Trip To Hogwarts
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Professor Trelawney
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hugh Jackman
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Arrival
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MARCHing Through Time
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Who is ... The Death Eater?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. If I don't kill him first, that is.
From Goodreads.



Katy, the new girl in town, meets her neighbours, Daemon and Dee who turn out to be aliens. It is not safe for them or humans to be friends but of course it happens and now they have to deal with it. They must fight the evil Arum before they steal their powers and kill them all. I will definitely try to get hold of the next one from the library. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: February Challenges (2/5)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Butterbeer Recipe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: To Be A Ravenclaw
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: A Trip To Hogwarts
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: All About the Stars
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Zodiac
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Hunger Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Who is ... The Death Eater?
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge

Friday, December 26, 2014

The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne

Caleb didn’t know that one night of bliss last spring with small town beauty Maya Brand had resulted in a pregnancy, until the blackmail attempt arrived on his desk in an unmarked envelope, complete with photos of Maya with a belly out to there.
When he learns the truth, Caleb rushes back to Big Falls, determined to make it right despite what the scandal will do to his high profile career–the family legacy he had never truly wanted.
All he wants is Maya, and their child.
But can a girl whose father abandoned and betrayed her, ever truly believe in the goodness of a man who left town the morning after their one night stand? How can he convince her that he hasn’t stopped thinking about her since then, much less, do so with the whole world watching? He has to prove himself to a woman he’s not even sure he’s worthy of. But he has no idea how.
 
From Goodreads.



This was okay. I like it when books have strong women and Maya, her mother and her sisters are exactly that. It is a romance and it ends happily. It could be fun to read some of the other books in this series as I guess they are about Maya's sisters.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
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 - Scavenger Hunt > December
Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2014

Friday, December 12, 2014

Loveable Christmas Angel by Mimi Barbour


Aloha! Sweet romance, lovable angel, and a prickly little boy’s Christmas wish.
Christmas in Hawaii! How lucky can a girl get? Except Leilani is bringing her mother’s ashes home to Waikiki and has an urgent plea of help from an aunt she’s never even met. After winning two free nights in prestigious Hotel Jordan, things take a turn she never expected. First, she is stuck in an elevator with the prickly, but luscious Mr. Jordan. Secondly, her aunt is a sick woman and only held on for one reason. She wants to pass on her most precious possession… her five-year-old grandchild. The same prickly little fellow that takes one look at Leilani, slaps his fist on his hips and yells, “Go away!”
Kale is the owner of the Jordan Hotel Chain and he can’t believe his rotten luck. He broke up with a spoilt brat of a girlfriend and now he’s stuck in an elevator with a big-eyed, effusive tourist. How in the world can a guy who’s so worldly be hooked on a lively beauty with more dilemmas than anyone he’s ever met?
  From Goodreads.

I really liked Leilana even though she seems a bit too good sometimes. She didn't know she had any family after her mother's death and suddenly she is in charge of Mano her 5 year old cousin and of course in love. Then there is the loveable elderly taxi-driver Pi who helps her from the moment she arrives in Hawaii. It was a cosy, heart warming story. Perfect Christmas holiday read.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SS
The Challenge Factory - R5: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2014

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella

The book that inspired the movie Field of Dreams.
The voice of a baseball announcer tells the Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella: "If you build it, he will come."
"He" is Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ray's hero.
"It" is a baseball stadium which Ray carves out of his cornfield.
Like the movie FIELD OF DREAMS that was made from this novel, SHOELESS JOE is about baseball. But it's also about love and the power of dreams to make people come alive…. From Goodreads.






This was okay. It was at times interesting but I think it would probably be better if you know something about baseball as the names of baseball players are all over the book and I guess all the names are the names of real baseball players.
I have never seen a game of baseball, it is a minor sport in Denmark and there are only a few teams. (I had to check the internet to see if we even had the game in Denmark at all).

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
CCC-Read your age
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Unborn by Amber Lynn Natusch

Born into mystery. Shackled to darkness....
Khara has spent centuries discovering everything about the Underworld―except her place in it. But when she is ripped from her home, solving the riddle of her origins becomes more important than ever. With evil stalking her through the dark alleys of Detroit, she finds salvation from an unlikely source: a group of immortal warriors sworn to protect the city. Khara needs their help to unravel the tangled secrets of who and what she is
— secrets many seem willing to kill for. But time is running out, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer necessity binds her to an arrogant fallen angel.
Can their shaky alliance withstand that which threatens her, or will her soul fall victim to the unholy forces that hunt her―those that seek the Unborn?
From Goodreads.






I needed a book by an author with N for last name. I found this on Kindle unlimited and liked that I could listen to it. This is full of mythology. Khara is, like the group of immortal warriors she meets, a child of Ares. She has lived all her life, which is centuries, half the year with Hades and half the year with Demeter. This book is about finding out who / what she is and how she deals with it. It was interesting enough that I will look out for the next book that has not yet been published.

This book qualifies for:
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (U-vulture)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Quiet storm by Romanus Gabriel

Becky Douglas and Eugene Thompson have one thing in common: they hate romance. Becky derives pleasure from hurting men. She has broken quite some hearts and will not hesitate to break more should she have the opportunity. Eugene always has one question: if he doesn’t give his heart to any woman how can his heart be broken by any woman? When these two meet, their refusal to respect each other is natural. From Goodreads.





This was a quick read but unfortunately not great. I usually don't get bothered by spelling mistakes but in this book they annoyed me. Becky and Eugene hate romance but of course end up loving each other. I am glad I did not pay for this book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Oktoberfest
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SSS
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

True of Blood by Bonnie Lamer

"I have a television so I know what a family is supposed to look like but mine is nothing like that. To begin with, both my parents are dead. Not the kind of dead where you bury them in the ground, say some nice words, cry a lot and then never see them again. Nope, when they died they refused to ‘go into the light’ or whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you die. Instead, they came back home. As ghosts. Have you ever been sent to your room by a parent who has no corporeal form? I have and it sucks..."
Xandra Illuminata Smith has lived for the last three years with ghosts as parents but her life gets even stranger after her seventeenth birthday when she finds out that her mother is actually a Witch in hiding and her biological father, whom she knew nothing about, is a Fairy and King of the Fae realm.
Xandra is the first Witch Fairy to be born in thousands of years for very good reason. No one should be able to control that much magic and Xandra was never meant to be born at all but her mother has managed to keep her hidden away until now.
The Witches want her dead and the Fairies want her blood, for only her blood will reopen the gateway to the Fae realm and allow them back into this realm to take revenge on humans and Witches alike for having banished them hundreds of years ago.
Xandra has very little time to learn how to use her powerful Witch and Fairy magic that has been bound since her birth while running from the Fairies who managed to jump realms and want to take her blood to set the others free. She needs someone to teach her and her parents enlist the help of one powerful Fairy who claims to want to keep the realms closed to each other. He will help keep her safe and alive as she learns, at least that's what he says...
From Goodreads.

This is a cute and also fun young adult book. Xandra doesn't want magic to be true and suddenly has to fight for her life while learning to use her witch / fairy powers. And, yes there is a bit of romance as well. Being a YA book, it was an easy read. I might read a few more books in this series this month.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Oktoberfest
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Sunday, September 14, 2014

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill. From Goodreads.





I am not sure what to think about this book. It is a murder / mystery but in the way that we are told right away who did it, then the next 620 pages tells why. Richard, the person, who is telling the story is part of a group of 6 college students who study Greek but as a newcomer he is also set apart from the group.
I didn't really like any of the characters in the book but it was still a strangely compelling read.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
What’s In A Name 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Crazy Challenge Connection - Bookshelf Battle Team Challenge #4
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SSS
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a freshman.
And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.
Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
From Goodreads.



This wasn't as good as I had hoped. It touches a lot of difficult issues like rape, abuse, abortion, suicide, drugs and more but some of the topics are just mentioned and it does not seem to have influenced the people it happened to very much. I am not sure I will read more from this author.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Gnome on the Range by Jennifer Zane

Once you get the zing you can't go back.
Jane West has everything a woman could want. A job in a small Montana town's only adult store, two busy young boys and one dead husband. Everything except a little excitement--a little zing. But that changes one summer morning at a garage sale when her kids buy some garden gnomes.
Now someone wants those gnomes and will let nothing get in their way. Including Jane. This new excitement for Jane spells trouble for a relationship with new neighbor--and hot fireman--Ty Strickland. Can Jane and Ty handle a relationship meddling mother-in-law, crazy kids, and stay alive while trying to solve the mystery of the garden gnomes?
From Goodreads.





This wasn't great but it was funny in parts and that pulled it up to three Polar bears. Jane is okay but it is the mother-in-law that is funny. No, I don't think I will read more by this author.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Author Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (Z-zorrilla)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. From Goodreads.





I have had this book on my TBR list for a while but felt I had to be in the right mood to read it. Well I don't know if I was in the right mood but as I am going to the cinema to see the film in two days time and there was no way I was going to go without having read it first, I just had to read it.

This is a beautiful book. It is a YA book about teenagers living with and dying of cancer. There is no happy ending to this book. It is of course incredibly emotional as it is about loss but also being able to love at deaths door.
The characters around Hazel and Augustus are also very interesting and I liked that to some of them there was more to them than what it seemed liked in the beginning.
This book had me crying but also smiling when the young people were using morbid humour.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-quail)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon

Saturday, July 5, 2014

After the Storm by M. Stratton

Alexia "Lexi" Hanson moved across the country to rebuild her life after the attack that almost destroyed her. She enjoys the simple things in her beach cottage. Life is finally complete.
Noah Matthews is Rock & Roll's hottest star and on top of the world. After years without a break he finds the solitude he craves at his beach house. Enjoying his early morning coffee, Noah is surprised to see his neighbor sneak into his garden and crawl around.
They never saw that fateful morning coming. Someone was watching them. Someone who thought Lexi belonged to him and would stop at nothing to have her.
Lives are changed forever when they meet amongst the blooms in his garden. Even when things seem darkest, there is always light After the Storm.
From Goodreads.





I liked the slow (compared to some others) romance between Lexi and Noah. What I didn't like was the detailed description of what the rapist wanted to do with his victims.
I will not continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
What’s In A Name 2014
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-raven)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

My Sweet Valentine by Jill Sanders

Sara Lander was back in town. She had big plans for her inheritance along with her freshly printed business degree and years of experience in some of Seattle’s finest bakeries, she has a rich idea for Pride. Sara's Nook is going to be the next biggest thing to hit town. All she needs now is to steer clear of the hunky ex-Navy SEAL who is hell bent on taking all her focus away from starting her own business.
Allen Masters has been living in Pride for several years. Setting up a new branch of the Coastguard and training all the new recruits took years of skill and all his patience. But when he sees the black-haired beauty, who had come back into town, he realized she was the one he'd been searching for. Taking one taste of her sweets, he knew he'd be in for a sinful time, but losing his focus while flying into the eye of a storm was the last thing he could afford.
From Goodreads.





An okay romance. It starts very fast as they meet and that is it. There are never any doubts about their relationship. The suspense in the book is about who is stalking her and attempts to kill her.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Build a House
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-jellyfish)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Monday, June 16, 2014

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….
Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.
He doesn’t know the half of it….
Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.
It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.
Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance….
From Goodreads.

I have been waiting for this book and it did not disappoint. It is quite difficult for Harry being the winter knight as it often works against his own ethics and now he also has a psychic parasite in his head that will kill him. 
Mab, the winter Queen, threatens him to work for a fallen angel to pay of a debt she owns him.
I like that Karrin, Michael and Butters are back, all with quite important roles to play. 

This is a fabulous series that I recommend to anyone who likes fantasy or paranormal books.  

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge

2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge 
2014 Full House Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon 

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Along Came A Demon by Linda Welch

I'm told the dead are all around us. I wouldn't know about that, I see only the violently slain. They can be victims of hit-and-run, innocents caught in a cross-fire, the murdered. They whisper to me and they never, ever, forget the face of their killer. I've learned to live with my uncanny ability, in fact I've made a career out of it.
The departed aren't the only supernaturals I see. No, they're not vampires or werewolves or fae - those things don't exist. We live side by side with what some call the Otherworldy. That's too much of a mouthful for me, I call them demons. If you saw them as I do, you'd know why.
Right now I'm trying to track down a missing six year-old boy whose mother was murdered. Or maybe she wasn't. To further complicate the case, Clarion PD gave me a partner I'd rather shoot than work with.
I can't tell them he's a demon.
They'd think I'm crazy.
I'm Tiff Banks. Welcome to my world.
WHISPERINGS. Paranormal mystery with a splash of humor and dash of romance.
From Goodreads.

Again a free Kindle book that was better than expected. Tiff can see and talk to the dead, only the ones that died an violent death. She can also see "demons" or that is what she calls them, beings from another dimension. She has to help solve the case of a missing kid and she gets paired with a demon. It is despite the killing and torture also quite humorous when she discusses things with the two ghosts that live in her house.
It was close to a 4 star book but ended as a high 3 instead. I might get the next in the series, I like it when free books reel me in.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (W-wolf)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #5

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.
And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night....Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
From goodreads.

I have to admit I really like the books by Ilona Andrews. It is the first in a new series about an innkeeper for paranormal and alien species. It is a brilliant idea and especially the close link between the inn and the innkeeper. I am looking forward to read more about Dina. And of course see how her relationships with Sean, the werewolf and Arland, the vampire pan out.  There is also quite a bit of humour which I like.
This book was written as short episodes on the authors website before being published. They are doing the same with the second book in the series but I don't have the patience to read it bit by bit, I will rather wait and read the whole novel when it is published.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (235 pages)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Shifter Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (I)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers (Dina)
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Build a House
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-impala)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.
Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.
Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.
From Goodreads.



It was good to be back with Mercy and the werewolves. Christy, Adam's ex-wife is back and a huge problem for Mercy as she is good at manipulating people. They also have to fight an unknown supernatural and Mercy's "dad" turns up which always makes things more complicated. This is book 8 in the series and I hope Patricia Briggs will keep going.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (published 2014)
Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014 (published 2014)
Shifter Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (#8)
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers (Adam)
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (P-impala)
CCC-Read your age (2014)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge (Washington)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon