Super Bowl Sunday Has Arrived - Got Snacks? #TheSundayPost

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Are you having or going to a Super Bowl party?  Tell me all about the snacks! We are going to not go anywhere which is usually what we do. I don't really care about the game, I do like the commercials and I do like snacks.  Nothing like a tasty appetizer if you ask me. 

This week brings us Valentine's Day and that means the month will be half over already.  I wonder if we will get a big snow in my area this month, we've had a good amount of cold weather and plenty of days with windchills below zero but not much to speak of when it comes to snow. 

This week I'll be sharing a few books I read or listened to lately:

Final book in my #SIAM Wicked All Night By Jeaniene Frost

 

January is almost over and I am ending the month with the third and final book in the Night Rebel series. I'm happy to report, yes I can read a series in a month! (#SIAM) 

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!

Like book two, I did the audio version of the book and if you ask me to rate the narration I give it a 5, I think Talia Gilbert does a wonderful job with all the different voices and accents. 

As far as I know, this book wraps up Ian and Veritas/Ariel. This book was a fast listen and again we get scenes with other characters from the Night Huntress Universe.

Overall this three-book series would have worked better for me if Veritas had been in stasis for a larger portion of her life. I say this because she says she is nearly 5,000 years old. I had a very hard time reconciling her age and experience with her behaviors and lack of knowledge. She is very gullible. Good thing her dad kept raising her from the dead. You can say it's due to her first time experiencing love with Ian, but that falls flat for me. Now if she'd been in a coma for like 4,800 of the years, then it makes much more sense to me. 

I like her brother, he came in clutch in the series, because unlike Veritas and other characters, he is able to read people (people and supernatural characters). Marie the Queen of the Ghouls also continues to be an excellent character. 

Okay, I'm going to leave the review on that positive note!  

Wicke Bite #SIAM Review Day! Did I like book two better than Shades of Wicked? Read on to find out!

 

Happy #SIAM review day!  Today I'm sharing my thoughts on Wicked Bit  by Jeaniene Frost --along with other participants in Anne's Read Along

Here is the schedule of the review posts where you can read everyone's review of this book. There is always a wide range of opinions! 

Jan 8:    Shades of Wicked              –  Review from Carole @ Carol’s Random Life in Books

Jan 22:    Wicked Bite                        –  Review from Robin @ Books of My Heart

Feb 5:       Wicked All Night             –   Review from Anne @ Books of My Heart

If you recall my review of Shades of Wicked from earlier this month, you'll know that the main character Veritas was not my favorite. I liked her in earlier books, but this series is told from her POVmaking her the main focal point of the books. Overall book one in the Night Rebel series was a 3 for me. 

SPOILERS AHEAD-

Wicked Bite wasn't available to borrow from my library in any form, and I didn't want to buy a kindle or paperback copy, so I used an audible credit to listen to the book. The reader for this book and the Night Huntress series is Tavia Gilbert. I like her interpretation of the accents for this book series and I think listening to her act out the book as opposed to me reading it did enhance my enjoyment of the book. 

This book being the second in the three book series, was all about managing expectations. There would be some things resolved but also there would be cliffhangers and I reminded myself--Dagon isn't going to die--he is going to keep popping up. 

What I liked about the book:

1. Action packed plot.

2. Veritas/Ariel has a family member--I'm hoping he is decent part of book three.

3. Veritas/Ariel accepts her dual nature. Thank goodness!

What is not my favorite: 

A secret betrothal.

Also the characters keep almost getting killed because they are being foolish, either by not questioning what they are being told or not listening to themselves. If at some point someone said: "We should stop relying on our physical prowess and magical abilities and start using our brains more then we'd stop getting into so many dire situations." Then I'd be super happy! 

What I'd love to read:

Veritas and Ian go on vacation and Ashael is dog sitting Silver who meets another demon dog at the dog park!

Back to Work Tomorrow: #TheSundayPost

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Tomorrow I go back to work. I don't mind, it will be nice to see the kids and hear about their Winter Breaks. Since I am a support person, and only work 2.5 hours per day at the school, I really can't complain. It's the best part-time job. I only work when school is in session, I don't have to get up particularly early and I'm home by 1:10pm. Bonus: I can walk to work.

I got a Blue Apron delivery this past Thursday and that was a nice way to try a couple different meals during my break. How was your week?  

This week I'll be posting about these books: 

Time for a Series in a Month!

 In keeping with my renewed effort to read and write, I'm participating in Because Reading's  Series in a Month (#SIAM) challenge. This time around Michelle and Berls are offering a twist. You can read the Night Rebel series as the #SIAM and participate in Anne of Books are my Heart's Realdalong of the Night Huntress World at the same time. 

I do love a two-for so, I'm in for the #SIAM read of the Night Rebel books!

Here are the books:

*Shades of Wicked (to be reviewed Jan 9)

*Wicked Bite (to be reviewed Jan 23) 

*Wicked All Night (to be reviewed Jan 30) 

And speaking of series, I recently finished reading most of the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher.  Here is a quick review. Overall if you like Fantasy of any sort, you should do yourself a favor and start this series. The book  I just finished is called Skin Game and it is book number fifteen. 

As I have mentioned before, I prefer the books that are set in Chicago and involved humans over when the book is basically all Fae. This book was a 5-star book for me because it was basically a heist story, which was a fun departure and humans were central to the story -- esp. Murphy and Micheal. I would have liked more Molly. Now I only have two books left to read and I don't even know if they have a finality to them as I

think Jim Buther is still writing Harry's tale. 

COYER and Books Of My Heart #READALONG!

This was a nice break in the action of the Night Huntress series, in the last installment I was very annoyed with Cat and Bones and ready to read something else.  Pretty clever, Jeaniene Frost, way to keep me reading.

This book is the story of Cat's friend Denise. From her introduction into the series a few books ago, I have wanted to read more about her. I loved her relationship with her husband, Randy, and was very sad that he died in the big Vampire battle.  Now it's about a year later and Denise is still in mourning. She understandable suffering from PTSD and is trying to distance herself from the supernatural world her friend Cat is an intricate part of.  

This being an Urban Fantasy series, Denise is quickly pulled into the world as she is cursed by a demon. This book does have action but most of the story is focused on Denise and her grieving process and Spade's struggle with his attraction to Denise fighting against his desire not to love and lose a human again. We learn a little more about the Night Huntress World and how it works, we do see Cat and Bones towards the end, but this is solidly Denise and Spade's book.

I'm a fan of Denise so I was happy for her to find Spade. Spade--for me--- is just an OK character, he is--and again this is just to me--a pretty typical hot Vampire. In other words, I don't find him as interesting to read as I do Vlad--or even Ian. 

Here is the publisher's blurb for this book: 

"The night is not safe for mortals.

Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows – her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield – and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family’s dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness – and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human – even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together…

Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost."

4 Starts to First Drop of Crimson

Join the Read Along at https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/12/05/read-along-giveaway-night-huntress-world-by-jeaniene-frost/

Coyer Read Along Destined for An Early Grave --Spoilers!

 Join the Read-along HERE

Okay let's talk about Destined for an Early Grave!  

I didn't like about 70%  of this book.

For chunks of this book, I was so annoyed by Bones and Cat, they were being so ridiculous.  Part of it was the lack of communication, I'm not much of a fan of when our main characters have major problems resulting from one or the other not talking something out. For me, I also don't enjoy reading Cat and Bones literally beathing the shit out of each other as foreplay. Also, it was so annoying that Cat assumed Bones was having sex with a ton of people in New Orleans when just a couple books ago he went years without sex when she left him and went with Don.  

And speaking of Don, Cat is going to feel really bad when she finds out he is dying from cancer and she was to afraid to talk to him.  The irony of a half breed vampire being so conflict avoident.  And speaking of the secret government agency group, overall, as a reader I am confused (This is definitely a me problem, not a reflection of Jeanine Frost's writing) about who I should care about in this series when it comes to secondary characters.  We had a couple of books where Cat's goverenment crew was central and we started to get to know them, but now they are mostly missing from this book. Will that continue?  Are we supposed to now learn to care about the vampires and ghouls, is Cat's life now just about fully vampire world? I struggle with as you can see. I mean I like Vlad and more of him is great, but what about the ghoul Liza, am I supposed to care about her? Will she be back or is she basically a red shirt like the random members  of Bones' crew --Band Aid and Hopscotch in this book. 

While I am getting tired of everyone wanting Cat, I did enjoy Gregor, he was a great villian. 

Tate showed up in the book at the 49% point, just went I was remarking to myself that it was great not having him in the book. Ugh. You know how I feel about him!

Fingers Crossed! 

Fortunately for me, things finally took a turn around the 75% mark of the book and Bones and Cat finally had a conversation and got on the same page. Amen!  I am pleased to see that Cat's conversion is wonky that will make for good storytelling, as well as the twist for Justina. I hope the next time I'm reading about Cat and Bones that the stoy doesn't focus on someone once again trying to covet Cat. I hope this time there is a different sort of big bad that they have to defeat. 

Next in the series we are reading First Drop of Crimson which features Cat's friend Denise.  I'm looking forward to a different POV in this series!

What do I rate this book. I'm not sure if I would say it is a 3 because Cat and Bones were so annoying or if it's a 4 because Ms. Frost made them so annoying to me. Good writing is about evoking emotions. 

At Grave's End #READALONG Spoilers Below FYI!

 

I used my audible credit to purchase the audiobook for At Graves End the third book in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Novel.  

In the last book, I was dismayed that Cat and Bones had a quick vampire marriage and not a real proposal and wedding--so I was happy that at the beginning of this book a proper proposal happens.  Not too long after that Cat winds up detained because she actually believes her Mom wants to help with the wedding planning AHAHAHAHAHA. I guess Cat's hope for her mom's acceptance is going to spring literally eternal. 

There is a long scene of detailed torture in the book which I could do with about half the details. But that isn't the most horrifying thing that happens to Cat and Bones in this book.  When Bones levels up and can start reading Cat's mind, now that is a true nightmare! I don't want anyone being able to read my mind, esp my husband, how is that going to keep a marriage together--sometimes my brain has some cranky thoughts! Plus other vampires can hear her thoughts as well, she needs to work on learning how to shield her thoughts. 

I was happy to hear that Vlad is now on the scene, I think he gets his own book or something later on in this series, that will be fun!  I appreciated Jeaniene Frost trying to make Justina a more likable character, it just goes to show that Ms. Frost is a wonderful writer because she really knows how to push my buttons.  I dislike Tate *more* than Justina now and that's really saying something! 

In this book Cat's stunted emotional growth again shows up when she says stuff like she can't believe Don didn't tell her the truth. Ah, the dude didn't tell you you were his niece or that your life had been extended from vampire blood, so why are you surprised he didn't tell you the truth about something else! 

I was distracted as I listened to the final battle of the book and honestly, by the end of the book I couldn't remember why exactly Patra and Mencheres were in a war. I think this happened to me because juxtaposed with reading this book I was watching the news and seeing the carnage one man has unleashed in Ukraine, has me pondering how dumb war is and what crap it is that one person can destroy so many other people.  

Join the Read-along HERE

 I hope book four kind of, for lake of a better description, plumps up the supporting cast, I'd like to get to know other characters better (except Tate) so that I would be more investing in the overall story being told--if there is an overarching storyline?  Maybe there isn't and I should be reading this as each book is almost a stand-alone?

If you have read or are reading this series, please post below and share your thoughts!

The Sunday Post! Love is In the Air?

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Valentine's Day and the big Football game are coming up!  Are you ready for some football? I'm ready for snacks and chocolate!  This week I'm hoping that the forecast is correct and that we will have some temps over freezing, too many sidewalks are deeply covered in snow and I don't like it! I do like that the days are getting longer little by little!

I finished up my 2 week no dairy, no grains, no white potatoes or flour diet. I could use a medal for that achievement. Now I'm trying to see how I can incorporate that moving forward. I have to say I need to find a balance because the two weeks without any grains, cheese or potatoes was really really hard. 

Today's compromise was a burger, but it was a turkey burger and I added mushrooms to the ground turkey and I had the bun so I didn't have any potatoes chips or make french fries to go with it. 

I also figured out my phone has a portrait mode where I can take a picture and the background is out of focus!

How was your week? Read anything good?  Watch anything good?  Here is what I'll be reviewing this week! 

Halfway To The Grave Read-Along!

 

It's time to talk about the first book in Anne's 2022 Night Huntress World  Read-Along.  I'm so excited to be part of this read-along not only because I like vampire stories and Anne's read-alongs are so fun but also because at the end of the year we will have a Q and A with Jeaniene Frost!  How cool is that! 

Learn more about this year's read-along and join us here! 

At some point in my past, I read this book, and then I don't think I continued the series for whatever reason--chalk it up to a 'life got in the way' thing.  This time around I decided to do the audio version of the book because it was available on my Libby library app.  I took this book on me as I went on runs around my neighborhood during the time between Christmas and New Year.  Tavia Gilbert is a fine reader, I enjoyed Bones' accent as well as the other characters.  It was easy to keep track of who was speaking as I listened.

As I began listening, I realized that Jeaniene Frost did something very clever in this book. Because Cat doesn't know anything about Vampires when Bones captures her, they have a long, but engaging Q and A where most of the rules of this world are explained.  A great way to get Cat and all the readers up to speed about what the Vampire rules are in the Night Huntress World. 

Cat is so naive and impetuous that if not for her vampire blood, she would definitely fit the 'too dumb to live' trope.  Much of her naivety is due to her upbring and she is already beginning to question what she has been taught as her worldview expands out from a very rural town in Ohio.  I look forward to seeing her character arch over the series. 

4.5 Stars to this first book in our 2022 Read Along!!

Come Along for the Read-Along: The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost!

In the way it always seems to go, it feels like just a few weeks ago I joined Anne at Books of My Heart's 2021 Real Along for the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh.  Now here we are and this roller coaster of a year is just about over,  and I am ready to journey into a new world with Anne, Berls, Sophia, Stephanie, Kai, Kimberley, and maybe you?  Come join us, it will be fun! 

Prizes, chats, and posts all year long as we delve into this well-known contemporary fantasy series.  I do enjoy vampire stories! 

You can read more about the series and join us via Anne's page here: Join the 2022 Read Along!

I am starting the series off with the audiobook of Halfway to the Grave.  I did read or listen to this book at some point in the last 10 years, so I remember some of the plot. I don't remember why I didn't continue in the series, probably life just got in the way and before I knew it I was reading some other books. 

I'm a couple chapters into the story and thus far, I enjoy the narrator. 

What do you think? Have you read this series? Are you up to joining the Read-Along?