The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS - Finished

R6: Team Challenge SSS (SSS = Super Speedy Series) hosted by The Challenge Factory on Goodreads.

This has now finished and my team reached 94 when another team finished. I will take part in this challenge again. My team was team 6: My team was: SSS Six Pence for a Book

Round 6 Super Speedy Series

✸This is a team challenge that requires 2 books a week. The object of the game is to roll the die and move along the board. To win a team must roll past 100. Teams will roll on Thursdays & Sundays.

✸Sign ups are open now through 3/15. Then teams will be formed and the game will officially start 3/19.

✸Teams will roll the die by clicking here on Sundays and Thursdays once their team has completed their reads. Please note you will have to change the dice to one die.

**Very Important**
A team can not advance if all reviews are not in by the deadline. That being said, players need to have their reviews in on Wednesday (for the Thursday roll) and on Saturday (for the Sunday roll). Real life sometimes gets in the way of play so you do have Thursday and Sunday to get your reviews in before the team is penalized. If a player fails to have their book done two times throughout the game (excluding a prearranged absence) they will no longer be a part of the team.

✸ How to pick a book:
Books are based on the spot you're on not the roll of the die.
If you land on single digit spot for example lets say you land on spot 5 then you have to read a book that's #5 in a series. For double digit numbers, for example you land on spot 48 you can read either a #4 or a #8 in a series.
✸Standalone books can be used for a 1 or a 0
✸First in a series can be used for a 1
✸I don't expect anyone to read a series out of order and for people that don't read series books that still want to play there will be an alternate option. There will be an alternate option for each spot.

✸There will be a separate thread for captains to post their place on the board after rolling and a separate thread for captains to post a link to the teams completed reviews.

✸Teams will have a chance to earn 1 Free Pass to roll. To earn your free pass your team has to complete their reads a day before the next roll. Once your team has done this you will have 1 free pass. The free pass will allow a team to roll if they are missing a review(s) before the cutoff. The free pass may not be used for the win. Once you've used it, you can't earn another one. It's a one time shot.

✸Re-reads are allowed
✸Page limit is 150
✸When using an anthology you may use any of the numbers in the book except for the .5 since this means 1/2. But you must review each story in the anthology.
✸Series # will be based on how GR has it listed.
✸Deadline cutoffs are based on US Central time zone
✸When posting your review, please include a link to the book, date finished, a rating, and a review. Your review doesn't have to be fancy. When using an alternate option please link the correct edition of your book. (If you're new to Goodreads and don't know how to add a book to your post, check out the How to Guide.


List of books read:

Week 1 (roll 1): roll 6 ➜ space 6: The Liquidator by John Gardner (cover item: weapon)
Week 1 (roll 2): roll 6 ➜ space 12: Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig (#1)
Week 2 (roll 1): roll 6 ➜ space 18: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (#1)
Week 2 (roll 2): roll 2 ➜ space 20: Getting Lucky by Katie Graykowski (#2)
Week 3 (roll 1): roll 4 ➜ space 24: I didn't take part because of Easter break
Week 3 (roll 2): roll 6 ➜ space 30: Sing for Me by Penelope Reece (standalone)
Week 4 (roll 1): roll 1 ➜ space 31: The Martian by Andy Weir (standalone)
Week 4 (roll 2): roll 3 ➜ space 34: Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke
Week 5 (roll 1): roll 2 ➜ space 36: THE CHRISTMAS KNITTING BEE by De-ann Black 
Week 5 (roll 2): roll 5 ➜ space 41: The Man in the Crowd by M. Sydnor Jr.
Week 6 (roll 1): roll 6 ➜ space 47: A Little Love by Amanda Prowse
Week 6 (roll 2): roll 3 ➜ space 50: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Week 7 (roll 1): roll 3 ➜ space 53: Raw Deal by Mark Henwick
Week 7 (roll 2): roll 4 ➜ space 57: Take Three Birds by Jilli Lime-Holt
Week 8 (roll 1): roll 6 ➜ space 63: Weingarten by J. Davis Bly
Week 8 (roll 2): roll 5 ➜ space 68: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 
Week 9 (roll 1): roll 2 ➜ space 70: The Synchronicity War Part 1 by Dietmar Wehr
Week 9 (roll 2): roll 3 ➜ space 73: Getaway by Rosemarie Naramore
Week 10 (roll 1): roll 2 ➜ space 75: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Week 10 (roll 2): roll 4 ➜ space 79: The Cold King by Amber Jaeger
Week 11 (roll 1): roll 4 ➜ space 83: Returning Pride by Jill Sanders
Week 11 (roll 2): roll 6 ➜ space 89: The Bridesmaid Blues by Tracey Sinclair
Week 12 (roll 1): roll 5 ➜ space 94: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

The Bridesmaid Blues by Tracey Sinclair

Luce knows she should be thrilled when Jenna asks her to be bridesmaid – after all, they’ve known each other since childhood and Jenna is the best friend any girl could have. But it’s hard to get excited about weddings when you’re terminally single and the best man is the boy who broke your heart: Jamie, the groom’s dashing and irresistible brother. How can she face the man who dumped her when she’s still so hopelessly in love? Then again, maybe this is the perfect opportunity – after all, where better to get back together than at a wedding?
So Luce has six months to figure out how to win back her ex, but she has plenty else on her plate – from an old friend returned to Newcastle with an announcement of her own, to a youthful colleague who may or may not have a crush on her and a mother who is acting very strangely indeed… and that’s all before a mysterious, handsome American walks into her life.
Sometimes being a bridesmaid isn’t all confetti and champagne… From Goodreads.


I didn't like this much. It was supposed to be funny but I couldn't see that. All I saw was a whiny main character who was drinking constantly. All through the book she is also complaining about being fat  and in the end it turns out she is a size 12 compared to her friend's size 16. Not for me!

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: June Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: House Elves
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MARCHing Through Time
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue#2

Returning Pride by Jill Sanders

Everything seems to be going Iian’s way, he has a successful restaurant, a beautiful home, family, and friends. He’s even overcome the loss of his hearing, but why does he still feel like something is missing?
Allison has worked hard to make a name for herself in the art world; now all she wants is peace and quiet to work on her passion. But, with her mother overtaken by illness, she has less time than ever. When everything is stripped away in one tragic blow, and she’s being stalked by a mad-man,
she’ll need the help of her hometown and an old flame, to turn everything around and find what she’s been looking for.  From Goodreads.

A nice love story. Lian and Allison have known each other always, but sad family events kept them apart. Now Allison is back and they start seeing each other. There are no surprises in this book, even the bad things that happen we know from the beginning who it is and why he is doing it.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

The Cold King by Amber Jaeger

From the author of The Hemlock Bay Series comes a new retelling of an old tale…
… Not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every Beauty is a maiden just waiting for love…
Calia Thorn has lived her entire life in a small town sheltered by the Cold King’s mountain. Working day and night to care for her younger siblings, complete her unending chores and please her selfish, lazy mother has left her with few dreams for her own future.
But then even those meager hopes are taken from her when the Cold King comes down from his mountain to demand a new servant. Ungraceful, unladylike, undesired and unwanted by even her own family, Calia is chosen to be sent to the palace.
The Cold King has lived for three hundred years under a curse imposed by his own father. With no hope of ever breaking it, he settles for keeping his heart frozen against any pain— or hope.
When his new servant arrives, she challenges him in ways no one ever has and sparks fly. But not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every beauty is a maiden just waiting for love.
Sometimes happily ever after isn’t so easy… From Goodreads.

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is darker than the original and has some violence. I love Fairy Tales and especially remember reading them constantly when on holiday with my grandparents. This was an okay retelling but I still like the original a lot more.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: School's Out, Well...Almost
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MARCHing Through Time
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

In a secret world of forbidden knowledge, power comes at a terrible price.
Quentin Coldwater's life is changed forever by an apparently chance encounter: when he turns up for his entrance interview to Princeton he finds his interviewer dead - but a strange envelope bearing Quentin's name leads him down a very different path to any he'd ever imagined.
The envelope, and the mysterious manuscript it contains, leads to a secret world of obsession and privilege, a world of freedom and power and, for a while, it's a world that seems to answer all Quentin's desires. But the idyll cannot last - and when it's finally shattered, Quentin is drawn into something darker and far more dangerous than anything he could ever have expected. From Goodreads.






I liked the magic part of this book. That doing magic is a lot of hard work and repetition upon repetition. What I didn't like is that it seemed that drinking excessively and doing drugs is not a huge problem and the main character is more or less unhappy about his life the whole way through. Also it got on my nerves all the mentioning of other books and films. To mention some: Of course Harry Potter but also Karate Kid, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I have not quite decided if I will continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
I love Library books 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: I Solemnly Swear
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: I Like Big Books Bonus Club
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Novel Books & Reading Challenges - Baby Got Book

Getaway by Rosemarie Naramore

After Portland Police Officer, Shelley Newland, is involved in a shooting while on the job, she decides to head to the Oregon Coast to clear her head. Rather than stay in a hotel, she opts to take her parents’ old Terry trailer. She’s sentimental about it, despite the fact that it’s falling down around her.
At the RV park, she meets handsome Portland Police Detective, Jake Castle, who has some things to work out in his own life. She’s also befriended by a group of senior citizens who are determined to help both her and Jake work through their problems.
When the two begin to have feelings for one another, can Jake convince Shelley his love for her is the real deal? Or will circumstances in Shelley’s life cause her to push him away? From Goodreads.






This was a sweet romance with a bit of suspense. Both Shelley and Jake need to make some decisions about their future. I liked the group of senior citizens at the camp site.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Finding Ginny
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?

The Synchronicity War Part 1 by Dietmar Wehr

After almost a century of peaceful exploration and colonization of space, the United Earth Space Force stumbles across a shockingly xenophobic alien race that has more and better armed ships and refuses all attempts at contact. As the outgunned Space Force is driven back in battle after battle in what appears to be a war of extermination, one officer experiences precognitive visions that help him blunt the enemy onslaught but he can't control or predict when they occur.
With the Senior Brass convinced that he's a tactical genius, he's given more and more responsibility and is terrified by the belief that Humanity's Fate rests on his shoulders. Can he solve the mystery of his precognitive visions before the Human Race plunges into the abyss of total extermination? This is Volume 1 of a military SF series about desperate space battles and the men, women and Artificial Intelligences, who fight and die in them. From Goodreads.




This was good but a bit too technical. I like the main guy Shiloh who gets these visions that help him in battle and also his relationship with the Artificial Intelligences. It kind of ends on a cliffhanger which I wasn't quite ready for and that was a pity.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Holding out a Hero
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Finding Ginny
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MASH with a Hufflepuff
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Pensieve
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

'You're not Mia Thermopolis any more, honey,' Dad said. I raised my head. 'I'm not?' I said, blinking. 'Then who am I?' He went, kind of sadly, 'You're Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia.'
A PRINCESS??
ME???
Yeah, right.
One minute Mia's totally normal. Next minute she's heir to the throne of Genovia.
Well, her dad can lecture her until he's royal-blue in the face, but no way is Mia going to behave like some posh princess. And they think she's moving to Genovia? Er, hello? From Goodreads.






I read a lot of YA. This is more a children's book than YA in my opinion. It is sweet enough, quite cute and has some funny parts in it. It is too sweet for me and her daydreaming about being a superstar at the same time as she doesn't want to be a princess is a bit too stupid. I don't think I will read more in this series.

Weingarten by J. Davis Bly

At thirty-five years old, Jimmy Russo never believed in ghosts, until the moment he awoke next to his old dead body. Forced to explore this in-between world, he watches as elderly people die natural deaths and receive their arcs of light immediately. He encounters others like himself, ghosts who painfully struggle to find any escape from this realm. Along his journey, Jimmy forms an improbable friendship with one such ghost, a man named Giovanni, whose unexpected death over fifty years ago interrupted a once-in-a-lifetime love affair. With every passing moment, Jimmy believes the key to escaping this in-between world will rest in solving his own murder and the mysterious deaths of others like him. From Goodreads.






I enjoyed this. The main character in this book is a ghost. He needs to figure out why he was killed and hope that he will be able to go into the light after this. But it just doesn't happen. He meets other ghosts and finds out he can communicate with the living.
This was an interesting new take on being a ghost and I will keep an eye out for the continuation.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Arrival
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MASH with a Hufflepuff
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Pensieve
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List

Take Three Birds by Jilli Lime-Holt

On a mountaintop in Italy, English writer Jill comes up with an idea – to meet up in the flesh with two other writers she encountered on the internet and has shared many online laughs with. One slight problem is that Janet lives in England and has never flown. Another is that Tottie lives in France and, like a good wine, doesn't travel.
So intrepid Janet boards her first ever flight to meet Jill in Italy and together they embark on a crazy road trip in a twenty-year-old Fiat Punto, to disturb the peace of Tottie's little 'grottage' in France's Auvergne.
When two sixty-somethings and a forty-something meet up, there's lots of laughter and plenty of chatter. But will it turn out to be a lasting friendship or will the Three Birds part company vowing never to meet again? From Goodreads.





This is a memoir about three women meeting up in real life after having gotten to know each other on social media, on an author site. It is a quite funny book about the planning and execution of how and where to meet. Even though they are all British, only one lives in the UK, the others in Italy and France. They plan to meet in France.
My main problem with this book is that they kept hinting at events that have happened in their lives prior to this meeting. Events that have been described in the books they each have published. I think it should say in the blurb to read those books first if you want the full value of this book.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Arrival
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Barreling Through
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Guess Who?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Game of Life
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: School's Out, Well...Almost
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MARCHing Through Time 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick Your Fate Adventure Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe

Raw Deal by Mark Henwick

Prequel to the best-selling Bite Back series.
“I’d lost my entire team, and nearly lost my life. In a way, I had lost my life, and was left with this—a tightrope walk between hunting down creatures people didn’t believe existed, and being locked up as one.”
After a career-ending incident on a covert military operation, Amber Farrell is surprised to find herself back in her home town of Denver working as a rookie policewoman. But what happened in the army casts a shadow across her life from which she will never be free.
The prequel to the Bite Back series introduces Amber Farrell, a kick ass lady with a secret problem—she’s been bitten by a vampire. She’s working hard to start a new life, hold down a job and meet all the expectations put on her. When people start to die suspiciously in Denver, Amber has to decide between duty and instinct, between what she should do and what she must do. From Goodreads



This was good. Amber is a strong character. I like that this is not a typical vampire story. Amber was bitten by a vampire, was supposed to be dead, but is still alive. Nobody knows if or when she is going to turn but the military still lets her get out to hunt vampires, though they are keeping a close eye on her. I have added this series to my ever growing TBR pile of books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: May Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Game of Life
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Pensieve
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: School's Out, Well...Almost
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Meet a Million Members

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE
Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life. From Goodreads.

I didn't like this book much. I don't understand why the male protagonist has to be a horrible, arrogant jerk and then end up being the extreme good guy. None of the characters in this book were the least bit interesting. There is no way I will continue this series. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: All About the Stars
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Holding out a Hero
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: Pick Your Fate Adventure Challenge 

A Little Love by Amanda Prowse

Everybody needs a little love in their lives...
Pru Plum is the celebrated owner of a famous Mayfair bakery. She wears Chanel and her hair is expensively cut. Few would believe that this elegant woman turned sixty-six last year.
But Pru is not the confident, successful businesswoman she appears. She has done shameful things to get to where she is today. And she will do anything to protect the secrets of her past - especially when, for the first time in her life, she has finally fallen in love...
From bestselling author Amanda Prowse, this is a story about love, loss and lies - and finding happiness before it's too late. From Goodreads.






This was good and it was quite enjoyable that the MC was in her sixties. This also meant she had a past and that comes back to haunt her when she finds the love of her life. Pru and her cousin Milly has done what they needed in their youth to get to where they are now.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Arrival
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Barreling Through
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: I Solemnly Swear
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Guess Who?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Spring Into Horror 2015

The Man in the Crowd by M. Sydnor Jr.

Every young players dream, their first major goal in pursuit of a basketball career, is to be part of the High School State Championship Game. The event where all eyes are on the main stage, focused on the dedicated players from each team who pour their heart, soul, sweat, blood and tears onto the court. This is the day where stars become Legends.
All-American Jeremiah Pierce has finally led his St. Bishop Knights to the California State Championship Title Game after three years. Before the start of the game, he gets a call from an unknown voice threatening him to lose the game or else. From Goodreads.

I like the story and the struggle Jerimiah has with himself after being threatened, which is what pulls this book up to 3 stars. I did not like the ending. I guess the author wants the readers to decide what those last few lines mean but I like the end of a standalone book to be neat or at least give the answers to who the bad guy was but this didn't.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
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: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Guess Who?
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?
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Spring Into Horror 2015

THE CHRISTMAS KNITTING BEE by De-ann Black

Tilsie is hired by Agnes to help with the marketing of her knitting shop in Edinburgh. Tilsie is a marketing consultant who also loves to knit, and becomes involved in the shop's Wednesday night knitting bee.
The knitting bee members are busy knitting woolly hats, gorgeous wraps, scarves, festive jumpers, tea cosies, cosy blankets and lots of things for Christmas, as well as gossiping about men and romance.
Having had her heart broken, Tilsie has decided to put romance on the back burner and concentrate on her work. But when she meets, Ewan, the handsome owner of a beautiful home accessories shop near Agnes' knitting shop, and rich businessman Stewarton, Tilsie wonders if she's made the right decision.
The Christmas Knitting Bee is filled with knitting, romance, gossip and fairytale vintage dresses, and a mischievous Santa with a wonky squeaker. From Goodreads.

 

Like the other De-ann Black books I have read, this was a sweet and cosy romance and a quick read. Tilsie is nice but it is the ladies of the Knitting Bee that are fun to observe. I will continue to read books by De-ann Black.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke

It's the summer of 1879, and Annie Fuller, a young San Francisco widow, is in trouble. Annie's husband squandered her fortune before committing suicide five years earlier, and one of his creditors is now threatening to take the boardinghouse she owns to pay off a debt.
Annie Fuller also has a secret. She supplements her income by giving domestic and business advice as Madam Sibyl, one of San Francisco's most exclusive clairvoyants, and one of Madam Sibyl's clients, Matthew Voss, has died. The police believe his death was suicide brought upon by bankruptcy, but Annie believes Voss has been murdered and that his assets have been stolen.
Nate Dawson has a problem. As the Voss family lawyer, he would love to believe that Matthew Voss didn't leave his grieving family destitute. But that would mean working with Annie Fuller, a woman who alternatively attracts and infuriates him as she shatters every notion he ever had of proper ladylike behavior.
Sparks fly as Anne and Nate pursue the truth about the murder of Matthew Voss in this light-hearted, cozy historical mystery set in the foggy gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco. From Goodreads.

Historical fiction is not one of my preferred genres but this was mystery mixed with romance and it was surprisingly good. Annie is a strong MC who knows a lot about the financial world of the time, but, as this is not appreciated, she has to give her advice disguised as a fortune-teller. When one of her clients dies she gets involved in finding his killer. 
I was sure I had guessed the killer about midway in the book but I was way wrong and I really like it when that happens.  

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Professor Trelawney
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Arrival
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Traveling Hogwarts Style
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: I Solemnly Swear
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
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
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

The Martian by Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him? From Goodreads.




This was good. All the technical stuff could easy have made this incredibly boring but it didn't and it was explained in a way so it was understandable. Mark is a very likeable character and I was rooting for him the whole book. There was so many times he nearly got himself killed but he just keep working out a solution. I want to watch the film later this year.  

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: The Zodiac
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Professor Trelawney
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hugh Jackman
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Guess Who?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: MARCHing Through Time
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick Your Fate Adventure Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

Sing for Me by Penelope Reece

CHLOE HASKELL, a university student and runaway diva, is determined to never sing again. After escaping a life in the spot light, she wants only to have a normal life. But when an old flame comes to town, Chloe must decide if she’s willing to forget the past in order to fall in love with the man who broke her heart.
RHYS RYTHER, a Broadway composer, has been hired as a substitute professor at the university. There, he’s surprised to learn that his ex girlfriend, the girl he left without an explanation, is a student at the same university. What's even more surprising is that he still has feelings her.
When Chloe unintentionally gets cast in the school’s production of The Phantom of the Opera, unexplained events start to happen. She sees shadows everywhere. A ghost haunts her dreams. And someone is watching her. But is it all in her mind or has a dead man come back to claim her?
As Chloe and Rhys get closer, he learns that she’s been keeping a secret. It’s a secret so dark that could very well tear them apart. And when the impossible happens, can Rhys overcome Chloe’s dark past in order to save her from an even darker future? From Goodreads.

This was better than expected. It is a romance, but just as much a thriller and quite scary. At the same time it was a quick and easy read. I find books with stalkers and abusive people more scary than gory bloody books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: April Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: A Trip To Hogwarts
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Finding Ginny
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Guess Who?
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Who is ... The Death Eater?
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

Getting Lucky by Katie Graykowski

Lucky Strickland has lost everything. First it was her dignity and then it was her husband and now it’s her house. She’s penniless, stuck at the McDonalds in Bee Cave, Texas, and her only hope, her brother-in-law, just stole her car.
Eighteen months ago, she’d been the wife of rock-and-roll legend, Ricky Strickland. Rock-My World, their reality TV show, was the number one. Then, on the live season finale, Ricky had introduced her to his mistress and their three daughters. Lucky stormed out. Ricky followed after her and wrapped his car around the nearest oak tree.
Will Brodie, Lucky’s bother-in-law, will do anything to get her back home. Lucky needs to grieve for her husband and take care of the lawsuit the realty TV network filed. They want their money back OR for her to film a new realty TV show—with Ricky’s children. Two months ago, Ricky’s daughters lost their mother to cancer—now they only have Will.
If Will can get Lucky to open her heart to the girls and to him, maybe he can finally give Lucky the family she’s always wanted. From Goodreads.

Another okay romance. There was quite a bit of humour in this. Especially Mama Betts is a character. Also the kids are sweet, both the very manipulative Dawnie and the stroppy teenager mandy.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: March Challenges (2/7)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Imagine this. Great Britain in 1985 is close to being a police state. The Crimean War has dragged on for more than 130 years and Wales is self-governing. The only recognizable thing about this England is her citizens' enduring love of literature. And the Third Most Wanted criminal, Acheron Hades, is stealing characters from England's cherished literary heritage and holding them for ransom.
Bibliophiles will be enchanted, but not surprised, to learn that stealing a character from a book only changes that one book, but Hades has escalated his thievery. He has begun attacking the original manuscripts, thus changing all copies in print and enraging the reading public. That's why Special Operations Network has a Literary Division, and it is why one of its operatives, Thursday Next, is on the case.
She has been trying to trace Hades ever since he stole Mr. Quaverley from the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit and killed him. You will only remember Mr. Quaverley if you read Martin Chuzzlewit prior to 1985. But now Hades has set his sights on one of the plums of literature, Jane Eyre, and he must be stopped. From Goodreads.

This was a quite fun read. I liked the interaction between real people (the real people of this book) and the fictional characters. The funniest part though was when I was caught up in the book and then thought they had made printing mistakes in the book.
(About the Bookworms): "They were happily farting out apostrophes and ampersands". Just after this sentence there were suddenly a lot of ' and & in all the words and I didn't catch on right away, just complained to my husband that it was difficult reading and annoying that this mistake had been made. In the middle of my complaining I suddenly understood. I think it was very well done.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
The Challenge Factory - R6: Team Challenge SSS
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon II
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: March Challenges (2/7)
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: All About the Stars
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt