2-3-4 Challenge discussion

May 2021 ✔ ★ 📖 🎧 ➜ ☞🔪❌🔍

📚Buddy Reads

✔ Hot Blooded (New Orleans #1) by Lisa Jackson
✔ Cold Blooded (New Orleans #2) by Lisa Jackson
✔ Seduction in Session by Shayla Black & Lexi Blake
✔ Spiraled (Callahan & McLain) by Kendra Elliot
✔ 🎧 Targeted by Kendra Elliott - jumped ahead because this sounded so good.
A Killer’s Wife: Desert Plains, #1 by Brittany Pressley
Never Have I Ever by Jocelyn Jackson
The Night Swim – June Buddy Read

Tall, Dark & Deadly
✔ Dying Truth (Kim Stone #8) by Angela Marsons

Columbo’s Challenges / New Series

2-3-4 Challenge -- Catch Up
🔍 Focus is on Lucy Kincaid this month
✔ 🎧 Cold Snap (Lucy Kincaid #7) by Allison Brennan
✔ 🎧 Dead Heat (Lucy Kincaid #8) by Allison Brennan
✔ Best Laid Plans (Lucy Kincaid #9) by Allison Brennan
✔ No Good Deed (Lucy Kincaid #10) by Allison Brennan
✔ 🎧Lost Girls (Lucy Kincaid #11) by Allison Brennan
✔ Save Your Breath (Morgan Dane #6) by Melinda Leigh

(view spoiler)[
Series Catch-up

1. Predator Trilogy
a. The Prey (borrowing book this week)
b. The Hunt
c. The Kill

2. Evil Trilogy
a. Speak No Evil
b. See No Evil
c. Fear No Evil

3. Prison Break Trilogy
a. Killing Fear
b. Tempting Evil
c. Playing Dead

4.FBI Trilogy
a. Sudden Death
b. Fatal Secrets
c. Cutting Edge
(hide spoiler)]

On My Kindle
Some Call It Love by Sarah Peis
The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice
Snow by John Banville

Work on Mystery sub-genre challenge
The Cutting Edge by Jeffery Deaver
Not One of Us by Debbie Herbert (Domestic)

Continuing Series
Death is Not Enough by Karen Rose #21
Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose #22
Buried by Kendra Elliot
Bitter Falls: Stillhouse Lake, Book 4 (Reading Wheel Challenge)
✔ 🎧 Murder on Wall Street by Victoria Thompson
At Her Command by Joey W. Hill

New Series
Dark Game (DI Kelly Porter #1) by Rachel Lynch
Hold Still (PI Jocelyn Rush #1) by Lisa Regan KU
Huntree Moon

KU
The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot

ARCs
✔ Riot House (Crooked Sinners #1) by Callie Hart
❌Riot Rules (Crooked Sinners #2) by Callie Hart
✔ Living At 40 by L.B. Dunbar

NetGalley

☞Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering
The Hidden by Melanie Golding due Nov 9
✔ The Hollywood Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal due July 6
✔Twisted Lie by due May 13

Good reading for May Sharon. Whatever you manage to read I hope it's good.

Yay! Looks like you’re catching up. Have fun as you’ve some great reading ahead of you.

Lots of good books on your list, Sharon! Enjoy.

Some great books on your list. Luanne Rice is one of my favourite authors. Hope you enjoy the book, I haven’t read that on yet as it is a new one.

Hmmm... Sharon, your list is getting longer but there are some fantastic authors. Hope you enjoy!

Jonetta, it isn't getting longer as much as I'm trying to track the books I planned to read last year.

Viki wrote: "Some great books on your list. Luanne Rice is one of my favourite authors. Hope you enjoy the book, I haven’t read that on yet as it is a new one."

I used to read her books as soon as they were released. She is another author that I put on the back burner for a few years. My cousin gave me this book for a birthday present.

Sharon wrote: "Jonetta, it isn't getting longer as much as I'm trying to track the books I planned to read last year."

I think you meant Lauren😏

I did mean Lauren.

I broke my glasses and can't see that great with my old ones. I thought it was your avatar. I get my glasses back Monday and my world will be right again.

Enjoy your Lucy Kincaid binge. Your Callie Hart books look interesting, I don’t think I’ve read her. Enjoy them all!

I received an unexpected arc from Netgalley. I order authors that I love as does everyone else. However, my requests for popular authors is rarely approved. In the past two months I received two that I never thought I would get approved. Last month, What the Devil Knows by C.S. Harris.

This month Twisted Lies (DI Kim Stone #14) by Angela Marsons. Twisted Lies

OMG is all I can say. This is one of the best so far Talk about twists.

I stopped reading the series because I like reading them with everyone. I ran into spoilers about the personal lives and the dynamic of the team. However, the primary focus is all about the case.

You’ve read all the books before Twisted Lies?

Jonetta wrote: "You’ve read all the books before Twisted Lies?"

No. I only read up to 8 because you started the group read. This one stands on its own because it is all about the case, but some of the comments among the group hints about some changes. I can't wait.

You brave woman!

I don't know if I'm brave or not, but I'm grateful that Netgalley approved my request.

Sharon wrote: "I did mean Lauren.

I broke my glasses and can't see that great with my old ones. I thought it was your avatar. I get my glasses back Monday and my world will be right again."

No worries! You can get me confused with Jonetta any time. It's a compliment :)

I finished Hot Blooded I thought I updated this before but I don't see it.

I finished Bridged

Thanks to Sandra I'm inching to read Targeted. I know I'm going to. LOL

I finished:
Murder on Wall Street

Spiraled

I finished (Two for One)

Cold-Blooded

Cold Blooded

Both second books in a series by authors we read. Now I have to go back and read Hold Still by Lisa Regan

I liked both of these books. Very different writing styles.

Also read
Targeted

Sandra made me jump ahead. It is times like this that I'm grateful for KU.

I finished
Dying Truth

For me, this is the best one in the series so far. The team is only working one case and it is a dilly. The ending is so emotional I was crying. I can't wait for everyone to discuss.

I finished listening to:

Cold Snap

I'm enjoying the series. I hope to get caught up next week.

Starting

I finished Dead Heat

I'm almost caught up with the group. I like the questions, but I must admit it is more fun to participate with the group. I post too many "I agree" when I'm behind.

Starting

I finished
Living at 40

I always enjoy books by Dunbar. Her characters are older, dealing with issues age appropriately.

Not my favorite book. It was ok. The characters are high school kids in a private boarding school. I want to punish these kids for life.

The author needed a little more research to learn the difference between enlisted men/women and officers. There are a lot of errors about the military. The heroine's father would be dishonorably discharged in real life. Finally, I'm not a big fan of the bully who ends up the hero unless it has a great story to go with it. 3*

I finished:

Best Laid Plans

Started

I'm up to date on this series. Yahoo!

Congrats, Sharon!

I finished No Good Deed

I was going to start the next Lucy Kincaid book, but I just read the blurb. This is my least favorite romance trope, and rarely like these books. In addition, it sounds like Sean keeps his son a secret from Lucy after they agreed to be honest with each other.

I think I'll pick a random In Death audio to listen to at work, and
begin The Hollywood Spy arc way early.

Finished

Saved

I found this series on my book shelf. My plan was to use it for two challenges: Only words on the cover (20 & 21 challenge) and the series challenge.

Unfortunately, I forgot that this book was written during the Fifty Shades madness. I really like Angel Payne but it is difficult to go back to her early books. Her writing is so improved. At least I can mark off the "Only words on the cover" even though I'm not going to read the series.

Finished:

Another book for the Mystery Scavenger Hunt:

Caper - Florida Roadkill

I noticed my son reading this the other day. It brought back some great memories. This series is written by a former editor for the Tampa Bay Times. His characters stop at some unusual places throughout Florida. My husband and I visited many of the bars, museums, etc. when we first moved here.

I love this series although I will admit it is not for everyone. The characters are not the best heroes but they make me laugh.

I finished

The Hollywood Spy

I recognized the author as someone I read before when I requested the book through Netgalley. After a few chapters, I realized this was also a character that I read before. It didn't jump out at me because the books that I read were a female spy working for Churchill during WW II. Now I have to go back to this series and pick up where I left off.

What a great story that sent me on my on research. I had no idea how strong the Nazi's, KKK, and other fanatical groups like the Silver Shirts were in Hollywood before and during WWII.

I knew about the racism and separation of black and white in venues and hotels from documentaries about Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, and other performers of that time. What I didn't know was the murders, underground spy networks, corrupt cops (although they are every where), etc. What an eye opening story!

The Author's notes sent me on a quest for some of her reference books. The older I get, the more I realize what I never knew.

I'm over my anger at Lucy Kincaid and Sean Rogan. I'm starting The Lost Girls

I need to get it over with so I can go back to enjoying this series. LOL

We do care about our characters! Glad you’re coming back, Sharon.

I finished:

The Lost Girls

I'm so conflicted on this story. I love the mystery, the dynamic of the FBI team, Sean working with his brother and RCK. If the author stuck with this it would be a big 5* book for me.

I hate the "secret" child. Madison is a selfish woman. She is more concerned with her father than her child's father. Twelve years is a long time to lie to a child. This is my least favorite trope, and it rarely works for me.

I hate that Sean is still keeping secrets from Lucy. I knew this part of the story would rub me the wrong way--IT DID. What made it worse was Sean's internal justification, and Lucy's easy forgiveness. For a short minute I thought Lucy was going to help Sean learn a lesson by walking away for a break. Unfortunately, she didn't.

The author did a good job of trying to justify Sean's actions. If this were the first time he played this game, it would work for me, but this is the third or fourth time. That is too much. He always promises to not do it again, but he does.

I finished:
Seduction in Session

This is a decent story. I like the ongoing story arc while I'm having problems with both of these characters. Hopefully book 3 is the charm.

Sharon wrote: "I finished:
Seduction in Session

This is a decent story. I like the ongoing story arc while I'm having problems with both of these charact..."

Fingers crossed