Challenge Corner discussion

Description book one: Kayli Winchester is a dirt-poor girl living out of a hotel, forced to be the parent for a drunken father and teenage brother who she’s desperate to keep in school. The only way she scrapes by is to utilize her one skill: pickpocketing. But even though she’s a thief she has a moral code: no kids or old ladies, only targets who can defend themselves. Not that they see her coming…

Thinking she’s been working under the radar, Kayli has no idea The Academy has been watching and taking notice. Now a team that needs her skill has offered her a way out of her predicament and it’s her last chance: work with them, or face jail time. Kayli resists at first, but slowly the boys reveal they can be trusted. With Marc, the straight man, Raven, the bad-boy Russian, Corey and Brandon the twins as different as night and day, and Axel their stoic leader, there’s a lot Kayli can learn from these Academy guys about living on the edge of the law. If only she can stay on the good side instead of the bad.

Especially when the job they offer her is more than any of them bargained for. After it’s done, the hunters have become the hunted and their target is now after Kayli. The Academy boys do their best to keep her hidden, but a thief like Kayli will never sit still for long.

Meet an all-new Academy team in Thief, the beginning of the Scarab Beetle series.

Please join Sharon and Jen for this series!

The type of group that requires a thief (15%) - Whoa! (view spoiler)[ Complete nakedness already - something tells me this will be much different than the Ghost Bird series! (hide spoiler)]
A job offer is a job offer (35%) -(view spoiler)[ hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about this Coaltar guy or her attraction to him. (hide spoiler)]
Brandon (53%) - (view spoiler)[ Um, I don't think Corey is gay, despite what Brandon says. I can't wait to be proved right. Corey is such a sweetheart, he might be my favorite so far. (hide spoiler)]
Deliverance (78%) - (view spoiler)[ I don't get her sometimes. She desires to be told she is wanted, yet when they tell her that, she doesn't believe it. I'm getting impatient with her. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - (view spoiler)[ I wonder who has Wil! I liked him from the Ghost Bird series - I wonder if the principal has him. Other thoughts: Kevin has to go. I don't like him and it sounds like he doesn't fit with the team anymore anyway. I wonder if they will cut him loose in book 2?? (hide spoiler)] Ah, I can't wait to start the next one!

Questions (22%) - (view spoiler)[ So, something just dawned on me from the Ghost Bird series - could Coaltar be the guy that the superintendent met with at the coffee house? The 3rd player in Hendricks scheme involving the school?? If so, is he just working Kayli to find out more about the Academy to use against the team there? Either way, I am not sure of his intentions. (hide spoiler)]
How to find the missing (43%) - (view spoiler)[ Why do I find that kiss so amazing? There they are shoved up inside a box spring with bad guys shoving the mattress around and they find such an intimate moment together. Can we get some more Axel please? (hide spoiler)]
Weak (55%) - Ask and I shall receive!!! (view spoiler)[ Wow, I am just shocked. She almost had sex with Axel!!! I'm "weak" for him too. (hide spoiler)]
Runners Get Paid (63%) - (view spoiler)[ Future is weird, but I like her! (hide spoiler)]
The Gentle Heart (75%) (view spoiler)[ OMG, I love Corey. I think he might be my favorite guy. He seems to be more in tune with what she needs emotionally, and at least he is trying to answer some of her questions. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - (view spoiler)[ Uh, yeah! Axel is definitely trying to push Corey toward "his other crush" so he can have Kayli to himself. I bet this other crush is Raven.

Regarding Wil, I think he got caught up in Hendricks blackmailing of the students at the school. Wil always seemed to be nearby when Sang was in trouble (the phone store, the grocery store, etc.) and he knows a lot about computers and communications. He could be the nerdy guy working for Hendricks....or Volto. Either way, they need to find him and get him out of there. I wonder if Wil will end up with his own series at some point or if he will just join one of these teams? (hide spoiler)]

Heat (27%) - (view spoiler)[ I love how she just starts making out with one of them everytime she is bored from waiting. It makes me laugh. (hide spoiler)]
Planning a Date (50%) - (view spoiler)[ Why do I get the feeling that Coaltar is going to be Mr. Murdock or at least be involved with him? I mean, we haven't seen him yet in this book, he has to be lingering around somewhere, right? (hide spoiler)]

Help...Friends (60%) - (view spoiler)[ 2 weeks with Blake when this is all over might be a good thing - it might give her some perspective on the boys in the team. On the other hand, 2 weeks might be enough time to make her forget them all together, especially if Blake has his A game going. I wonder why they don't consider bringing Blake into the Academy. Is there a maximum age or something? He might make a good Academy guy if he wasn't on the outside looking in. (hide spoiler)]
Physics (77%) - (view spoiler)[ I feel bad for Blake at this point - she's blown up his boat, wrecked his car, and now blown up his house - and we really don't even know the state of his heart. She is like a one woman demolition team when it comes to his stuff. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - (view spoiler)[ I'm disappointed that all the bad guys got away, and I'd really like the boys to hurry up and talk to Harry's team. It would solve so many problems, right? I wonder why Dr. Roberts didn't just tell Brandon outright, he seems to be in the know about how to make this work. (hide spoiler)]

Arrogant Irish (25%) - (view spoiler)[ Yeah, yeah, Kayli. You have too many men to choose from. Can we get on with it? And don't take the money!! Raven is right, it will change you. (hide spoiler)]
A bear lies w/a thief (35%) - (view spoiler)[ Eep! We finally got some action with Raven!! Although, these cramps are strange - are they an after effect of the poison or is she about to need an appendectomy? (hide spoiler)]
Just getting started (56%) - (view spoiler)[ hmm, who could have attacked Blake? I don't think it was one of the guys. Someone is on to them and Blake was the only one left alone. (hide spoiler)]
Recuperation (77%) - (view spoiler)[ Wow, who would have thought that the best relationship advice would come from Blake? I hope things are out in the open now with the rest of the guys. Maybe now they can focus. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - Wow! (view spoiler)[ So when it became clear that these characters were more mature, I was wondering which of the guys she would sleep with first. I gotta say, I actually thought it would be Corey just because he is being set up to be the least likely - plus how could the guys ever be mad at him? Blake was my 2nd guess because I thought he would collect on his deal to keep her for 2 weeks all to himself (which still hasn't happened).

The epilogue was interesting! I can't believe Liam gave Blake the advice he did since Blake isn't Academy. I'm wondering how this will all play out. Will he use it to sway Kayli away from the group or will he eventually try to join up? Gah! I don't think these questions will be answered in the one book left available and it looks like it will be a long wait for the next one. I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!!! (hide spoiler)]

Blackmail bait (22%) - Um, wow. That scene was really somethin'!
The Fire and Storm (27%) - HOT!! (view spoiler)[ Well, she is well on her way to collecting a bunch of hot toys for her harem, isn't she? Because it has taken us 5 books to get to this point, I keep thinking more time has passed than it really has. I guess we are about what? a month in since she has met all these guys and she's now slept with 2 of them and fooled around with another 2. You go girl! (hide spoiler)]
Heart True (56%) - (view spoiler)[ What the heck is going on? Where is Raven and what is he up to? I have a feeling he has been captured and they aren't really doing much to find him, are they? And what the heck is up with Kayli's health. This random period is too weird, and coupled with the head injury and memory loss?? Something is really wrong with her, but what could it be? I'm also having a hard time reconciling Liam's behavior with how he behaved in the Ghost Bird series trying to help that group. He's taking a totally different approach and I find it weird that he hasn't explained anything to the Academy boys, but he did explain to Blake. Seems like it should have been the opposite. (hide spoiler)]
The Kiss (80%) - YESSSSSS!!! (view spoiler)[ I'm so happy that it looks like Corey is going to get what he wants/needs from both of them. I just love him to pieces and want him to be happy, and let's face it, Raven is scary hot. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - Okaaaayyy. (view spoiler)[ Ok, the married part I figured was coming because it's obvious that it needed to happen to keep Raven in the country. But I'm still not sure why he is still locked up if Sam confessed to the murder?? I'm also wondering (again) how they are going to work Blake into the team. It's clear the intention is for him to be part of Kayli's group of guys, but is he going to join the Academy too? He wasn't in the scene from the Academy camp when Sang and Kayli get initiated. I'm also wondering when this series is going to catch up to that one. Tempest was supposed to be out in 2017, but it still hasn't been released and since they still haven't completed this mission for Ethan, I highly doubt they are going to run off to camp in the next book. (hide spoiler)] Ugh, I can't stand waiting to find out!