Rawk: House Games - Finished

Rawk-A-Tiers House Games hosted by Rawk-A-Tiers on Goodreads.

There are Yin and Yang House. I usually wil do RR - level but because of summer holiday I did the Yin July challenge at PR level.

There ended up being 3 challenges and I managed to complete them all for full points. 

YIN HOUSE JULY CHALLENGE
"Yin." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. .

YIN- in Chinese philosophy : one of the two forces that together form everything that exists : the female principle of the universe that is considered dark and passive and is associated with earth
SPELL OUT (3 books)
☯ Spell out the word YIN using titles or authors
Y: The Young Pitcher by Zane Grey
I: Into the Deep End by Leesa Freeman
N: Born in Ice by Nora Roberts

HOUSE TASKS (3 books)
☯ Read a book by a female author
Fire And Ice by Dana Stabenow 
☯ Read a book with a dark cover
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
☯ Read a book where most of it takes place outdoors, such as camping, in a forest, on a mountain etc.
Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

TROUPE TASKS (3 books)
☯ Read a book using the first initials of the troupe leaders who are not your own
Fire Troupe: D: Down and Out in Beverly Heels by Kathryn Leigh Scott
Air Troupe: S: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Earth Troupe: T: Treasure on Moon Lake by Amy Gamet
----------------------------------------------------
Rules
CR level- complete any 1 section
RR level- complete any 2 sections
PR level- complete all 3 sections

Points
Completing your level = 9 points
Participation:
CR = # of tasks x 3
RR = # of tasks x 1.5
PR = # of tasks x 1 

★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩

September 1 - 30

YANG- in Chinese philosophy : one of the two forces that together form everything that exists : the masculine principle of the universe that is considered the active, light, and positive force and is associated with heaven, heat, and light. 

SPELL OUT (1)
☯ Spell out the word YANG using titles or authors
*you may use each book twice for this section*
Y: The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yoko Ogawa
A: Fire at Twilight by Lila Ashe
N: Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
G: The Wild by Christopher Golden

HOUSE TASKS (3)
☯ Read a book by a male author
Fire Country by David Estes
☯ Read a book with a pale colored cover
A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews 
☯ Read a book where most of it takes place in space or has stars or the sun on the cover
Touch of the Goddess by Maria Hammarblad

TROUPE TASKS (4)
☯ Read a book that shows a fire or flame on the cover
☯ Read a book that has wind, air, or sky in the title
☯ Read a book that shows an earthy landscape on the cover
☯ Read a book that shows a body of water on the cover
----------------------------------------------------

This is a one month challenge.

Rules
CR level- complete any 1 section
RR level- complete any 2 sections
PR level- complete all 3 sections

Points
Completing your level = 9 points

Participation:
CR = # of books x 3
RR = # of books x 1.5
PR = # of books x 1  

★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩★✩

Yang House Challenge Trick or Treat
October 1 - 31

Spell Out
Your choice: Trick or Treat
You may use Title, Series Name, author first or last name
T: 204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber
R: Don't Waste a Minute - A Story of Africa by Marilyn Randall
I: I'll Be Watching You by Charles de Lint 
C: Carved in Stone by Donna McDonald  
K: Prophecy of the Female Warrior by K.A. Young

Cover Search (find 3 items)
Orange or black cover
Candy on the cover
Spooky tree on cover
Ghost on cover
Title written in Orange
Title starts with H

Themes (find 4 items) (done)
Read a book that features kids
The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland (main characters are in 7th grade)
Read a book in which the characters use a Pumpkin in some way
Poisoned by Elaine Macko
Loc: 2792 ➜ We stood in my kitchen carving the pumpkins I had bought for the front porch, 
Read a book in which a character dresses in costume
Read a book in which a family (your definition of a family) celebrates a holiday
What Once Was Perfect by Zoe York (celebrates Christmas)
Read book with a main page Paranormal genre
Read book with a main page Horror genre
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Bonus if there is trick or treating in a book (1 point, max 1 time)  
Poisoned by Elaine Macko
Loc: 3276 ➜ Both kids started off trick-or-treating each year by going to their grandparent's for picture taking and an assortment of goodies. 

Standard Rawk-A-Tiers book guidelines apply

Rules
CR level- complete any 1 section
RR level- complete any 2 sections
PR level- complete all 3 sections

Points
Completing your level = 9 points

Participation:
CR = # of books x 3 (spell out books worth .50 each)
RR = # of books x 1.5 (spell out books worth .50 each)
PR = # of books x 1 (spell out books worth .50 each)

Prophecy of the Female Warrior by K.A. Young

Anna Wilkins is a prototypical housewife. She buys groceries, picks up the dry cleaning and hosts dinner parties. Everything was picture perfect from the outside looking in until the life she was born to live collided with the life she was living. Her husband is murdered by a creature from another realm, a creature that is only visible to her. Through her pain, his death awakens a part of her she didn't know existed. She is then thrust into a life of Vampires, Werewolves and Sexy Nephilim Warriors. Drawn to her by a bond as old as their race, a Nephilim Warrior finds Anna at her darkest hour and seeks to arouse what lies dormant within her. The scorching sexual attraction she and the Warrior feel for one another may be beyond anything either of them can control... From Goodreads.






I wanted to read this as I started to read a series that is a spin off of this one. It was okay and it is going to be interesting to follow Anna in the next books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Wacky Reading Challenges: Vampires, Witches & Ghosts, O My

What Once Was Perfect by Zoe York

She shuttered her heart and walked away...
Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She's found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, and causes a renewed interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to keep her emotions in check.
...Now he has a second chance to get it right.
Kyle Nixon let Laney slip away once. Their chemistry together is undeniable, but steamy sex is not enough to convince her to let him back into her heart. Even if she did trust him again, her career as a paediatric surgeon is five hundred kilometers away from the hometown that he loves, and the life he once chose over her.
Come home to Wardham. Come home to love. From Goodreads.

This was okay, not great but okay. A cosy, easy to read second chance romance.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Dewey's Read-a-Thon October 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber

Olivia Lockhart
Cedar Cove, Washington
Dear Reader, 
If you've been to Cedar Cove before, you've probably met my friend Grace Sherman. You can usually find her at home she lives at 204 Rosewood Lane or at the public library, where she works. Like me, she grew up in this town and she's raised two daughters here. But did you hear that about six months ago, her husband disappeared? Just …disappeared. Where's Dan? Why did he go? Who's he with? Will Grace ever find out?

I hope that all of us, her family and friends, are bringing her comfort during this difficult time. Comfort and a sense of shelter. I'm continually reminded that life can and does go on. For instance, everyone's been discussing weddings and babies lately. Justine, my daughter, rather impulsively got married a little while ago. Grace's daughter Kelly recently had a baby. Unfortunately, she refuses to accept that Dan might not return to see his first grandchild. Grace's older daughter, Maryellen, is more realistic. Grace thinks she's seeing a new man but for some reason won't say who it is.
Then there's Jack Griffin, our local newspaper editor, the man I've been seeing. And… well, I have lots to tell you. Come on over and we'll talk!
Olivia. From Goodreads.

I have now read this second book in the Cedar Cove series and I really enjoyed it. There is a lot of different people to keep tabs on but I like that. This book is very much about Grace and her life which is quite sad. I am definitely going to continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Dewey's Read-a-Thon October 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly

The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland

Logan Wilde is accidentally drawn into the mysterious, dangerous world of the Menagerie when he discovers a griffin hiding under his bed . . . and it leads him straight to the weirdest girl in seventh grade, Zoe Kahn.
Zoe is panicking. Her family has been guarding the Menagerie for centuries. If they don't get the cubs back fast, the whole place will be shut down. To save the griffins' lives, she's willing to break all the rules, even if it means letting an outsider like Logan help. But the real mystery remains: Is someone trying to sabotage the Menagerie? From Goodreads.

This was a fun book full of mythical beings. I think it was a good book for the age group it has been written for. I borrowed it from the library but as of this time it doesn't seem like the library has the next book in the series but I will keep an eye on it.

This book qualifies for: (the 3 last are linked as there is not room in the tag line)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Dewey's Read-a-Thon October 2015
I love Library books 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges: 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly
Wacky Reading Challenges: Vampires, Witches & Ghosts, O My

Carved in Stone by Donna McDonald

Even though his sons tease him about not dating, and his ex-wife thinks he is still hung up on her, 53 yr old retired principal and stone sculptor, William Everett Larson, is glad he waited to date until he found 47 yr old high school art teacher, Jessica Anderson. He admires Jessica for her courageous art and for how she has dealt with her life. As far as Will can tell, the only part of Jessica damaged by her past is her heart. Jessica assures Will she is incapable of lasting love, but Will refuses to believe it's true. Yes, it is a problem that the baggage from Jessica's past makes her see dating as merely recreational and men as interchangeable, but when she offers him temporary sexual fidelity, Will decides to take what he can get until he can find a way to convince Jessica she is still capable of love.
Jessica Daniels is mostly happy with her life. Her daughter is graduating college. She is a few years away from retirement. Life is good even though lately she has stopped being interested in both her art and men. Since Jessica has never been the kind of woman looking for that one special man to settle down with, she normally dates and enjoys all the men she wants. What's the harm with doing so suits her? Will is certainly good-looking and charming, but she's not sure he's worth the trouble of an exclusive relationship. She likes riding his motorcycle, seriously admires his art, and thinks he's mostly a great guy. But after thirty years of being single, Jessica knows that most relationships just don't work out for a woman with a past like hers. When Will keeps insisting on sleeping with her, she finally gives in, but Jessica knows in her heart it will never last. From Goodreads.

What I particularly like about this series is the relationship between the father and his adult sons. I have already read the third book in the series and decided that I wanted to start from the beginning.
In this book it is the father that has to find love and it all ends happily after a few misunderstandings involving the ex-wife.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
FrightFall RaT 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages: Summer Song Shuffle
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House

I'll Be Watching You by Charles de Lint

Rachael Sorenson feared she would never escape her ex-husband's abuse. Then a passing stranger came to her rescue---a stranger who had watched her from afar.
He was a photographer, and Rachael was his perfect subject. He lived only to make her happy---and eliminate those who didn't.
Now he wants more than her beauty. She owes him her life---and he means to collect. From Goodreads.

This was scary as I hate anything about stalking. It doesn't help that the book is seen both from the victim's and the perpetrator's POW. We follow them both and the further into the story the more scary it gets. To me it is the knowing that the bad thing is going to happen and anxiously waiting for it that is scary. It was not an enjoyable read but it scared me as it was meant to.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
FrightFall RaT 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the hostility of the villagers. From Goodreads.

I should know better than reading anything that is called a classic. This was supposed to be a horror but I didn't find it scary at all, but quite boring. There was never any doubt who the killer was and it all just moved along extremely slowly. Not for me.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
FrightFall RaT 2015
I love Library books 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: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Poisoned by Elaine Macko

With Halloween fast approaching, Alex Harris, owner of the Always Prepared temporary agency, has her hands full keeping her assistant from turning the office into a house of horrors. But that’s nothing compared to finding the body of one of Indian Cove’s high society poisoned.
All eyes turn to septuagenarian Robert Brissart. But Alex doesn't believe it for a minute fearing that the old woman was the intended victim all along and that another attempt will be made to finish her off. Alex needs to find out which member of the town’s elite is the killer before they strike again.
There’s something sinister going on in Indian Cove and it’s not just Halloween hi-jinks. The mystery comes to a frightening finale amid the jack-o-lanterns and ghosts on Halloween night when Alex discovers that there are more than just witches and goblins trick-or-treating in her normally peaceful New England village. From Goodreads.


This was an okay cosy mystery. Alex is nosy and starts questioning everybody in the family and is of course the main reason the case gets solved. I do like that it also shows that she has completely misunderstood some of the information she has gotten hold of as that makes it slightly more believable.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
FrightFall RaT 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly

Don't Waste a Minute - A Story of Africa by Marilyn Randall

Meet Lyn, a girl from the Welsh valleys who sets out for adventure in 1970's Zambia with her very young daughter and husband. What will happen on the way and when she gets there exceeds all her imaginings. All the content of this book is true with the exception of a few names and small insignificant details. Enjoy xxx. From Goodreads.

This was okay but no more. Lyn was one minute scared of everything around her, the next she would stand up to official people in a very stupid way. Also when she becomes involved with the animal shelter she takes weird chances. During the whole book she seems to be handling herself in this erratic manner. The reason to be in Zambia was her husband's work and what she did was all as a volunteer. He did not seem supportive of her and every time he wanted to do something it seemed that's what they did.
The only reason this book is 3 Polar Bears is that the stupid things Lyn was doing actually were humorous in between.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
FrightFall RaT 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge 

The Wild by Christopher Golden

The world knows Jack London as a writer who lived his own thrilling, real-life adventures. But there are parts of his life that have remained hidden for many years, things so horrifying even he couldn’t set them down in writing. These are the Secret Journeys of Jack London.
We meet Jack at age seventeen, following thousands of men and women into the Yukon Territory in search of gold. For Jack, the journey holds the promise of another kind of fortune: challenge and adventure. But what he finds in the wild north is something far more sinister than he could ever have imagined: kidnapping and slavery, the murderous nature of desperate men, and, amidst it all, supernatural beasts of the wilderness that prey upon the weakness in men’s hearts. From Goodreads.

I like fantasy but it was not what I expected of this book and that is the reason it doesn't get a higher rating. I wanted more of the adventure and hardship in the cold climate around the Yukon river which was what the first part of the book was like. It became too mythical with the Wendigo and Lady of the forest. Just the thought of Yukon though makes me look forward to next summer when I am going back there to paddle the Yukon River.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer cAMMP BINGO
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

Touch of the Goddess by Maria Hammarblad

Drinking and flying is a bad combination. Stephan Forks learns this the hard way when he rams another ship in spite of the vastness of space. A moment later, a strange woman stands on his bridge, looking around with a frown. She's clearly a figment of his imagination. Nothing in his colorful past of smuggling and smaller crimes prepared him for people appearing out of nowhere.
Maria Callaway has carried more names and appearances than she can keep track of, and she's bored beyond belief. When she runs into Stephan, he seems to be an amusing pastime. He's interesting, disorganized, pursued by pirates, and handsome. A little too handsome, actually. Maybe she should leave?
Neither of them can foresee the chain of events set in action from their meeting. Adventure and danger go hand in hand during the upcoming days, and the collision resonates not only through their own lives, but changes the destiny of the world as they know it.
"Touch of the Goddess" is the first book in a series of three, mixing mythology, science fiction, and romance. from Goodreads.

This was quite funny, a 2000 year old goddess who falls in love with a 40ish year old genetically engineered human. Stephan wants to protect Maria but a 2000 year old goddess really doesn't need a lot of protection. This is their adventure. I might just continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Fire at Twilight by Lila Ashe

Grace is a fixer. She's good at it, too. In her acupuncture practice, she fixes the community of Darling Bay, and in her personal life, she's rescued her sister too many times to count. Her love life, though . . . Grace doesn't think she needs help, especially not from a man whose very nickname is unhealthy.
Tox Ellis is the hazmat expert at the Darling Bay Fire Department, and he knows about harmful substances. He knows what gases to keep apart to prevent explosions. Why, then, can't he seem to stay away from Grace, the woman who seems to think he needs fixing?
Is Darling Bay ready for the chemical reaction Grace and Tox generate whenever they're in the same place at the same time? And who will be standing by to put out the flames?
From Goodreads.





This was okay and also funny in places. I wasn't wild about Grace who seem to think she needs to fix everybody that includes telling them what is healthy or not all the time. She pushed both her sister and Tox away before she finally realised she had to let them live their own way.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer Games
A Million More Pages: Summer Song Shuffle
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun 
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

Fire Country by David Estes

In a changed world where the sky bleeds red, winter is hotter than hell and full of sandstorms, and summer's even hotter with raging fires that roam the desert-like country, the Heaters manage to survive, barely.
Due to toxic air, life expectancies are so low the only way the tribe can survive is by forcing women to procreate when they turn sixteen and every three years thereafter. It is their duty as Bearers.
Fifteen-year-old Siena is a Youngling, soon to be a Bearer, when she starts hearing rumors of another tribe of all women, called the Wild Ones. They are known to kidnap Youngling girls before the Call, the ceremony in which Bearers are given a husband with whom to bear children with.
As the desert sands run out on her life's hourglass, Siena must uncover the truth about the Wild Ones while untangling the web of lies and deceit her father has masterfully spun. From Goodreads.


I like the way this was written from Siena's point of view but it was a well-known male dominant world. Girls and women are treated whichever way the man of the house decides and at a call they are given to whoever the village elders, who are all male, decide. It is also about wanting to do anything to stay alive and in power and not in a good way.
I liked it but I am not convinced I will continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages: Summer Song Shuffle
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7 
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016

A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews

Grace has been best friends with Ella and Flick forever. The late-night chats, shared heartaches and good times have created a bond that has stood the test of time.
When Ella invites them to stay for a week in her cottage in South Wales, Grace jumps at the chance to see her old friends. She also hopes that the change of scenery will help her reconnect with her distant husband.
Then Flick arrives; loveable, bubbly, incorrigible Flick, accompanied by the handsome and charming Noah.
This is going to be one week which will change all their lives forever... From Goodreads.

I really liked this but because I think some of the ending was very clear in the beginning of the story it only made it up to 3 polar bears. I did like Grace and the way she did things and I absolutely loved the setting on the Welsh seaside. I intend to read more by Carole Matthews.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yoko Ogawa

The first major English translation of one of contemporary Japan's bestselling and most celebrated authors. 
From Akutagawa Award-winning author Yoko Ogawa comes a haunting trio of novellas about love, fertility, obsession, and how even the most innocent gestures may contain a hairline crack of cruel intent.

A lonely teenage girl falls in love with her foster brother as she watches him leap from a high diving board into a pool--a peculiar infatuation that sends unexpected ripples through her life.
A young woman records the daily moods of her pregnant sister in a diary, taking meticulous note of a pregnancy that may or may not be a hallucination--but whose hallucination is it, hers or her sister's?
A woman nostalgically visits her old college dormitory on the outskirts of Tokyo, a boarding house run by a mysterious triple amputee with one leg.
Hauntingly spare, beautiful, and twisted, The Diving Pool is a disquieting and at times darkly humorous collection of novellas about normal people who suddenly discover their own dark possibilities. From Goodreads

 

Unfortunately I found these three novellas boring and uninteresting. I only finished them because they were so short. They stories are twisted but neither beautiful nor darkly humorous as described in the blurb. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Rhyme Time
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Summer Games
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Crazy Challenge Connection: Read your age

Born in Shame by Nora Roberts

Three modern sisters bound by the timeless beauty of Ireland...
Shannon's life is rocked by an emotional earthquake when she learns the identity of her real father: Thomas Concannon.
Obeying her late mother's last wish, American Shannon travels to County Clare, Ireland, to meet the sisters she never knew she had. Warmed and comforted by the bond that grows between her and her sisters, her heart is lured by the charm of the Irish countryside and tempted by the attraction of horseman Murphy Muldoon.
Murphy takes one look at Shannon and knows that she is the woman he's waited for all his life. But Shannon is a practical woman. Will she open her heart and mind to the timeless, magical bond that connects them? Or will she reject fate's plan and leave Murphy to return to her life in America?
And amid the lush Irish landscape, she discovers the possibility of a love that is meant to be. From Goodreads.



I have really enjoyed this Born In trilogy of Nora Roberts. Shannon experiences the loss of her parents that she loved and the loss of her identity as her mother reveals that her father was not her biological father. I like that though these books of course have a happy ending, the characters have to struggle with loss and work their way through it. It also shows that you can get past the loss but it will always stay with you. 
Finally Murphy falls in love with the extremely lovely, nearly too nice, young man, who has been part of all the books. I will definitely read more of Nora Roberts' books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer cAMMP BINGO
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick One For Me
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

The Young Pitcher by Zane Grey

Zane Gray tells the tale of a freshman at a college in Arizona who discovers his greatest talent -- as a baseball pitcher. Originally published in 1911, Zane Gray's western sports tale has thrilled readers for generations. From Goodreads.

I should really watch a game of baseball at some point, I know what it means to be a pitcher but infield or outfield and all the other terminology was pure nonsense to me. But luckily that was not all this book was about. It was about sportsmanship, friendship and team spirit. Also if you are trying your best and giving it all you have, winning isn't everything.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe

Treasure on Moon Lake by Amy Gamet

True love is hiding where you least expect to find it...
Jewelry designer Tori Henderson’s first year in business was far more expensive than she could have imagined. Faced with closing the doors of Tori’s Treasures, she sinks her last dollar into one final promotion—a widely publicized treasure hunt for a chest of fine, handmade jewelry that could drum up enough business to get her back in the black... or kill her shop once and for all.
The last thing she needs is her mother's announcement that she's preparing to marry Edward Trainor, the father of Tori’s long ago summer crush, Gabe - a man who regularly makes his way into Tori's dreams some ten years later.
Corporate tycoon Jed Trainor has no intention of attending his estranged father’s wedding, and he certainly doesn’t need to see his half-brother Gabe after the other man put the moves on Jed's one-time fiancée. But with business problems looming, Jed needs time to think, and the small town of Moon Lake seems like the perfect place to hide away while he figures out how to save his empire.
The last thing he needs is the distraction of a beautiful woman who thinks she’s in love with his idiot half-brother.
Tori is determined to win Gabe’s heart, but Jed has other plans. When they learn Gabe is bringing a date to the wedding, Jed offers to bring Tori himself, knowing any woman on his arm is sure to be on Gabe’s radar. But his ploy for her attention just may blow up in his face. Can Jed prove to Tori he’s the Trainor brother she really belongs with? From Goodreads.

Okay Romance. All characters are likeable. Tori and Jed have some misunderstandings but everything ends happily ever after. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
What's in a Name 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

Into the Deep End by Leesa Freeman

Before doesn't exist—not for Luke Stevenson—not anymore.
He once dreamt of winning Olympic gold and escaping his crappy little New Mexico town, but that dream shattered the night a drunk driver took his twin sister and confined him to a wheelchair. Mourning Bethany and struggling to cope with his new paraplegic life, Luke is blind with rage at everyone and everything.
Adriana Toomey, the only other survivor of the crash, can barely crawl out of bed after burying her fiancé, Luke’s best friend. But what haunts her most, she has no memory of that fatal night.
An old friend who manages a camp for special needs kids, strong-arms the broken pair to act as counselors for three weeks. Seeing each other again is painful. Luke reminds Adriana too much of the man she was going to marry. Luke, who secretly loves his best friend's girl, has no idea how to be the kind of man any woman would want. Disabled and destroyed, what could he possibly have to offer now?
Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. From Goodreads

This was a very emotional book, dealing with the loss of loved ones and the loss of possibilities. Both Luke and Adriana are having a difficult time getting through the time after the accident where they lost his sister and her boyfriend. But this book is about dealing with it and moving on, not forgetting but moving on and accepting a new kind of life.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: The Great American Road Trip
Rawk-A-Tiers: Summer At The Beach
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe