The Challenge Factory discussion

It is a nice story worth reading, I've been meaning to read it for a while now but never really managed it :)

Week 9
Infected: Epitaph by Andrea Speed


Qualification: Cover: Animal
Read: (3/12)
Rating: ★★★★★

Here's the thing, I know this is supposed to be the "last book" in this series, but I'm sorry it doesn't feel like it at all. Too me this feels like the last book in a particular arc. There's some good closure on a few things, but it in no way feels like the end of the story to me for any of the characters. I know there are books planned on the Holden side of the series, which just YAY! But I don't feel like this is the last we'll hear from Roan and Dillon either. There are still too many unanswered questions about what's going on with Roan and where it will lead to. Sure his virus is different and it's trying it's best to take over, but what does that mean for Roan day to day as he tries to live a different life. Can he and the lion ever truly find a balance?

The cases here were conflaglatory (I think I'm making up words now, but oh well it says what I mean :D) in just the right way to really push Roan into making a decision he's put off for ages. They set Holden up to be taking over more things and trusting himself as a PI and making him question his vigilante status. But if we weren't getting a Holden book soon I would be a very grouchy camper because he and Scott were so up in the air in this one and I love those two together! The hockey guys make these stories so much more because they're awesome! All of them!

I feel like this story left me with a HFN feeling with all of the characters. I really want a book now with Roan and Dillon working on their relationship and what their changes mean or each other and together. I want the continued story, and while I rate this book with 5 stars because it was awesome, I'm not left as totally satisfied as I wanted to be by a book supposedly ending the Roan story. He's not done and it's obvious. You get the feeling Ms. Speed likes writing these characters too much to really put the nail in the coffin and walk a way. THANK GOD! Cause I want more. :D

Week 9: Spot 61 (alternate ~ Animal on cover)


Danielle ~ Old Loyalty, New Love by Mary Calmes (3/11) ~ 1st in series
Annika ~ Crossroads by Riley Hart (3/12) ~ 1st series
Shelby ~ Infected: Epitaph by Andrea Speed (3/12) ~ Animal on cover
Jennifer ~ The Help by Kathryn Stockett (3/12) ~ Animal on cover
Shannon ~ I.N.E.T. by Brenda Cothern (3/13) ~ 1st in series
K-Terror ~ Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain (3/12) ~ 1st in series
Sunshine ~ Above the Dungeon by SM Johnson (3/13) ~ 1st in series

Week 9 ~ Spot 61



The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Finished: 3/12/16
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Three birds on the cover

On the surface the impression I got from this book is that it's about racism in the deep south of the United States, but it's so much more, it's more a story about humanity, empowerment & hope. It's a feel good story that makes you smile & you don't want it to end. Often books that deal with this subject are tragic, depressing & heavy so it's refreshing to see a subject such as this dealt with differently. Now I have to watch the movie :)

Week 9 Completion Post


I.N.E.T. by Brenda Cothern
Pages: 204
Qualifies: #1 of INET Series
Read: 3/13/16

I'm not sure what I just read. I see it's the beginning of a series but if the series doesn't continue with the same 2 MCs then that would just suck. We didn't learn much about them. A lot of things were touched on but nothing has come to light yet. It's a solid start if it does continue with these same guys but didn't feel like a complete story....(had to print some concert tickets) Okay, anyways, they did have some hot, sexy as hell dirty talkin' and some kinky play was eluded to but nothing has happened with that yet. Like that! A bunch of things started. We did get to meet others in the team so I think this will really pick up maybe in the next book.

Week 9 Completion Post


I.N.E.T. by Brenda Cothern
Pages: 204
Qualifies: #1 of INET Series
Read: 3/13/16

I'm not sure what I just read. I see it's the beginning of a series but if the series doesn't continue with the same 2 MCs then that would just suck. We didn't learn much about them. A lot of things were touched on but nothing has come to light yet. It's a solid start if it does continue with these same guys but didn't feel like a complete story....(had to print some concert tickets) Okay, anyways, they did have some hot, sexy as hell dirty talkin' and some kinky play was eluded to but nothing has happened with that yet. Like that! A bunch of things started. We did get to meet others in the team so I think this will really pick up maybe in the next book.

Week 9: Spot #61
============================


Book: Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain
How it Fits: 1st in Series
Read: 03/12/2016
Rating: 3.5*s
------------------------------------------------
I'm on a Diane Chamberlain kick! Like a lot of her books, they are slow starters but end up sucking me in. I also like how all of her stories are so different. This book primarily followed the story of Laurel and her main squeeze, Jamie. The story spans many years ~ taking them from college, through the birth of their children and many personal struggles. It was a very emotional read ~ having to reach for a kleenex or two before the ending. Each of the characters were easy to connect with and it was easy to feel invested in how their story ended. I wasn't ready to leave them behind, so had to move right on to book 2. :)

K-Terror, I wanted to let you know SOS's Bingo is about ready to start. Steph said she couldn't pm you because you don't accept pm's. Sign-ups are until March 20th :)

Week 9: Spot 61 (alternate ~ Animal on cover)

1st in Series
Above the Dungeon by S.M. Johnson

Read: 3/13
Rating: 4 stars
Review: Master Roman
To be Dare and Jeff...To fall in love again... To be under the spell and magic of Master Roman...
Loved the story. Great start to the series.

Jennifer ♔Princess Penguin♔ wrote: "K-Terror, I wanted to let you know SOS's Bingo is about ready to start. Steph said she couldn't pm you because you don't accept pm's. Sign-ups are until March 20th :)"

What is SOS Bingo and how did I miss this?!?

You can check it out here... https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Jennifer ♔Princess Penguin♔ wrote: "K-Terror, I wanted to let you know SOS's Bingo is about ready to start. Steph said she couldn't pm you because you don't accept pm's. Sign-ups are until March 20th :)"

I didn't know I didn't accept messages ~ I'll have to look at that! LOL! Thanks for letting me know. I'll go check it out! Thank you!!

Week 10


I rolled a 9
We are now on spot 70
You can use a book that is...
♦7th in series
♦a Standalone
♦on the Humor shelf

Week 10
Space 70


Succumbing to His Fear
Pages: 185
Qualifies: Standalone

Week 10
Space 70


Susie's Choice by Barbara Elsborg
Pages: 205
Qualifies: Standalone

Week 10
Space 70


Succumbing to His Fear
Pages: 185
Qualifies: Standalone
Read: 3/19/16
Rating: ★★★★

I was little worried when I saw this was the author's first book seeing as they usually have a bunch of misspelled words, words used incorrectly etc. Not so here. It was obviously edited by someone other than the author. Yay!

The only thing keeping it from a 5-star read was being told a lot of the story instead of "feeling" it. I think that may be due to the first person dual POVs. And thank you for the dual POVs. I love seeing both sides to a story.

Alfie and Fear were just the cutest. It was a bit of an insta-love but I feel it worked here. Fear seemed pretty badass and Alfie was a bit of a mess. They just fit together. I loved the kids and Alfie's mum was the best person ever! I want to be her! We had a bit of a mystery along with our romance and it kept me turning the pages until the wee hours. Super enjoyable.

There was a fairly large cast of characters in this one so I'm hoping for a whole series based on them. I know we get Talon's story next. Can't wait!

Week 10: Spot 70 (Alternate ~ Humor)


Shannon ~ Succumbing to His Fear by River Mitchell (3/19) ~ Standalone
Jennifer ~ Paper Towns by John Green (3/19) ~ Standalone or Humor
K-Terror ~ After Anna by Alex Lake (3/21) ~ Standalone
Shelby ~ Tangled by Emma Chase (3/22) ~ Humor
Annika ~ Breaking Through by D Nichole King (3/24) ~ Standalone
Sunshine ~ Susie's Choice by Barbara Elsborg (3/23) ~ Standalone
Danielle ~ Sidecar by Amy Lane (3/24) ~ Standalone

Week 10: Spot 70



Paper Towns by John Green
Standalone or Humor
Finished: 3/19/16
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

I really enjoyed reading "Paper Towns" by John Green. At first.
The first three quarters were fun to read - Quentin's search for Margo (this really mysterious girl at his school) and him trying to find her trail.
But in the end the story lost a lot of suspense and simply "kept going". The end (total cliche and a bit of philosophy) was kind of disappointing.
So why did I give four stars? Well, John Green's writing style. No matter how boring the story is, his way of writing makes it enjoyable. The idea. Although (in my opinion)the end is a bit weak, the story itself is very convincing. The characters. Although most of them are John Green typical (we have the best friend, THE girl, the insecure main character, etc.) they were still unique and had special character traits and peculiarities.

Overall, I really liked "Paper Towns" although it is definitely not Green's best book.

Week 10
Space: 70
Book Title: Tangled
Page Count: 254pgs
Qualification: Shelf: Humor

**Completion Post**
Week 10 - Spot #70
============================


Book: After Anna by Alex Lake
Pages: 400
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
How it Fits: Standalone
-----------------------------------------------
This book was one crazy ride of a psychological thriller! I had not expectations going into this book as it popped up one day on Book Bub and thought it looked interesting. There was a lot going on in this story as the main character and her husband were in the process of divorcing and their daughter was taken from the school when mom was late to pick her up. Part of the intrigue was trying to figure out who took the daughter - why - and would they get her back, while the other part of the story that was interesting was all the family dynamics.. Definitely recommended to anyone looking for a quick roller-coaster of a psychological ride.

When did you finish your book, K-Terror?

Week 10
Tangled by Emma Chase


Qualification: Shelf: Humor
Read: (3/22)
Rating: ★★★

This was a strange one for me. First of all I'm not a huge fan of 1st person narration in the first place. Couple that with the narrator/character talking directly to me as if telling me the story and I really dislike it. That being said there is a tongue in cheek style that is pleasant here. While this book didn't sell me on the genre/style I didn't hate it.

But really this was only a 2.5-3 star read for me. The biggest reason why is I never really liked the characters. Talk about your male gender stereotypes. Drew is so ridiculously over the top "MALE" in his actions towards women it's obnoxious. He's written as so much of a chauvinist & player that I found him incredibly unlikable for a majority of the book, especially since he's essentially whining for the first half at how put upon he is to finally be in love and to have his wittle (purposeful misspelling here) heart broken. Cue the tiny violins because I'm just not buying it, you did this one to yourself buddy all because you're one ginormous asshole. I mean the stereotype in this book is so overdone that really the character of Drew pretty much became a caricature of a human being for me. Sure he has some funny moments in the way he tells the story, but it's so me, me, me I'm pretty much rolling my eyes through the whole thing.

And as for Kate, yeah well as much as I admire her character for being strong in a man's world she pulls all the stupid weak woman stuff too. Ooooohhhhh I didn't realize my flirting with the guy would make him want that. *insert eyelash flutter here* I'm still in love with my high school sweetheart that I moved here with even though from the minute that we met it's oh so obvious that I want you Drew. No, no I can't leave him even though he's an incredible douche bag. *banging my head into the wall now*

Frankly I liked the secondary characters in this story a whole hell of a lot more than I liked the mains. Especially Drew's niece, she rocks! You go girl with your swear jar!

Having read the synopsis for the next book I don't know if I'll ever pick it up. I really am not interested in seeing this couple backslide into more absurd drama because they don't know how to behave like the grown adults they are. If it had been about some of the other characters I might have been quicker to jump onto the next book. But for right now I doubt I'm that interested.

Week 10 - spot 70


Breaking Through by D. Nichole King
How it fits: Standalone
Read: 24/3
Rating: 4,5 stars

Review:
This author is quickly becoming one of my must reads. She creates wonderful stories and great characters and this book was not an exception. I loved it and was hooked from beginning to end.
So get ready to be swallowed by the sea
We follow Nautia, a powerful but troubled water element. She and 4 other students with special abilities are recruited by the military for a top secret mission, one that previously failed and killed several students, her twin brother Nate was one them. By signing up for the mission she’s hoping to find out what really happened to him and get revenge.
This book is full of twists and turns friendship and love. But it is also one about self-discovery and growing up.
Highly recommended. Read it - you won’t be disappointed!

Week 10
Space 70


Susie's Choice by Barbara Elsborg
Pages: 205
Qualifies: Standalone
Read: 3/23
Rating: 4 stars
Review: Exactly the right choice
Christian and Joey... Yum Yum
Christian, Joey, and Susie... Even better

I loved the story. The ending was the best.

Week 10
Space 70



Qualification: Standalone

Date Read: 24 March
Rating: 4.5 stars

I thought this was a really great book. It was a sweet story and I liked both MC's. Their relationship build slowly, which was needed. I liked that it spanned many years.

Nice, I gotta bump that up on my TBRs

Week 11


I rolled a 4
We are now on spot 74
You can read a book that is...
♦4th in series
♦7th in series
♦Multi-Colored (3 or More Colors)

Do you think this would qualify for the 3+ colors?



I'll ask Ezi. :)

I was hoping we'd still be in the 70's because I just got up to book 7 of Anita Blake series. Yippee!!

Week 11 - spot 74


When I'm Lost by Aria Grace
How it fits: >3 colours on cover
Read: 25/3
Rating: 3 stars

Review:
No, Wait. ... What?

But...?

It can’t end there…. can it?

And before you ask – no the book didn’t end with a cliff-hanger, it just felt unfinished. There was so much more I want to know about Seb and Mike. They just started out, and suddenly the book ended. And it leaves you hanging, wondering what happened next and what had happened before? I have too many unanswered questions than I feel I should have in the end of a book.

There were hints of Mike’s troubled past, both where he was hurt and caused it for others, but we never really get to know anything about it. What happened with his family, friends and “people”, apparently he had some before, but we don’t get to know what happened with them. Who were the older men and what happened with those? I’ll admit to feeling a bit left out as the rest of the characters seemed to be more in the know. They knew Mike better than the readers did, and we want to know too!

And what about Seb. Apparently he too had an abusive pas, though different from Mike’s (I think). Something that deeply affects him in the present, making him mistrustful of himself and others.

The one thing both of them dream of more than anything is finding someone to love. Who loves them in return for who they really are – the real them, the ones they’re both hiding from the rest of the world. Someone knowing them, without judgement of their past actions. But this never happened. They never once sat down to have an honest and deep conversation, either of the past or the future, and honestly not much about the present either. There was too much focus on the attraction between them and the people (and dogs) around them.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. Mike and Seb were sweet, I just wanted to get to know them a bit better before we parted ways.

Week 11: Spot 74 (alternate ~ Multi-colored)


Annika ~ When I'm Lost by Aria Grace (3/25) ~ Multi-colored
Jennifer ~ Alienated by Melissa Landers (3/25) ~ Multi-colored

FYI

Ezi posted on the main thread:

Possible winners this week!!
Looks like it will be a race to finish books :D

Team 8 Goal Diggers are on spot 100

Team 6: SS "Frog Squad is on Spot 96

Team 11 "Eleven on Top is spot: 92

Week 11
Space: 74
Book Title: Public Display of Everything
Page Count: 161pgs
Qualification: Cover: Multi-Colored

Week 11: Spot 74



Alienated by Melissa Landers
Finished: 3/25/16
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
How Fits: Multi-colored

Alienated by Melissa Landers was a good book. It tells the story of Cara who, in exchange for a full scholarship to college, takes on an exchange student, Aelyx, from the planet L'eihr. In spite of the L'eihr's gift to Earth, the cure to cancer (which saved Cara's mom) Earthlings and L'eihrs have a rocky relationship. The exchange of student is supposed to foster goodwill, but in the end causes little but strife. In the center of it all are Aelyx and Cara, Aelyx being initially the more judgemental of the two. As Cara is gradually alienated by her friends and classmates, she becomes closer to Aelyx, who becomes more human as the book progresses. I think the book was well written and I liked the way the characters and their relationship developed. The author makes a very sci-if topic very real, and the issues the characters, both alien and human, face are the ones we face everyday: getting along with those foreign to us, caring for the environment, learning to love and trust, and gaining and losing friends.

Just so you guys know, Team Goal Diggers are on spot 102 so, if they get all their reviews in this is the last week.

I have had a great time playing with you all :)

Agreed, it has been a lot of fun :)

Week 11
Public Display of Everything by Cara Dee


Qualification: Cover: Multi-Colored
Read: (3/26)
Rating: ★★★★

This falls into the uber sweet category. Such an adorable little read about to American's finding each other in London. Both boys had their reasons for leaving the States and have found comfort and security in their adoptive city. But neither is completely fulfilled.

Flynn is a complete and utter klutz. He struggles to hold down a job because he's always doing something incredibly klutzy to screw it up. He's down on his luck once again after a near catastrophe at his latest construction job site. When the shy quiet guy that sometimes sits at his friends bar approaches him with a job offer it's too good to pass up even if the job is more than a little strange.

Cory is shy and used to doing research about everything before committing to any path. He created his website for his own purposes having seen a niche that needed to be filled. But now his members are clamoring to see some of him in action, he doesn't want to disappoint them and is sure that he himself will be a disappointment. It all seemed like the perfect reason to approach the guy at he bar he's seen before.

This story is a little awkward and a lot endearing. Both these boys crave love and someone to see them for who they really are despite their social failings at times. Together they're just too cute and much stronger as a whole. The voyeuristic qualities of this story weren't over done and didn't twig my slight hesitation with porn style story lines. I enjoyed this story a lot. I liked the closure that each of them got on their past and how they planned to move forward together. I'm left with a wonderful happy warm feeling. :)

Really fun you guys. So glad I decided to play. :)

Oh man!!!

I had fun too! You guys are awesome!

I was getting ready to post my review but apparently there are people winning this thing already! wow!

It is over! Team Goal Diggers has won! Next time I play I'm going to refuse to be the roller because I just suck at it...lol

No sucking here. It is the luck of the randomizer.

Thanks Jennifer for taking the lead.

It was great reading with every one.

See ya

;)