This is my monthly reading log for a swap at Swap-Bot, and I also include a monthly wrap-up of posts that I've posted here on my blog. This month was more typical for me. I'm still a bit burned out from July/August so I've kept my reading light, for me. I know many will still think 22 books is a lot. :) I hope my partners enjoy reading about what I've been reading!
Before we get to that, let me tell you about my new Read-a-Thon. I came up with this one today, and I'm hoping some people will be interested in doing it with me. It's called "Beat Your Best" and it's basically a challenge to encourage you to push yourself with your reading. It can be something small like if you've only ever finished 1 book in a day, you'd finish two, or if you've only ever read a 400 page book, you'd read something longer. The choices are endless and up to you. Click on the pic below for more info, and signup, if you are interested!! :)
On to my October Log ~
New Color Coded Ratings
1 ★ 1.5 ★ 2 ★ 2.5 ★<--Bad 3 ★ Great-->3.5 ★ 4 ★ 4.5 ★ 5 ★
Good
October ~
01 – Over the Line (Alpha Ops 01) by Emmy Curtis
Completed 10/6
3.5 of 5 stars
I received this book from NetGalley for my review. It was a good romantic/erotic suspense about two former teammates. James had saved Beth’s life and they reconnect after almost a year, and there’s continued sparks. They go to a wedding at his family’s place in the midst of a bunch of things going on, threats and such. They fall in love, try to deny it. Typical romance, pretty good.
02 ~ Locked in (Jessica Daniel 01) by Kerry Wilkinson
Completed 10/7
2 of 5 stars
A “locked room” murder mystery that had potential, a series that is new to me that was recommended on GR from other books I have read. The good about the book ~ the main character, story, killings & why the killings were commited. The bad ~ the killer, who I figured out as soon as we met that person. I like mystery in my suspense, and there wasn’t any. If the killer had been anyone else, would have been a 4 star book.
03 ~ Gone to her Grave (Rogue River 02) by Melinda Leigh
Completed 10/11
3 of 5 stars
I received this book from NG for my review. It’s a novella series done by this author and Kendra Elliot. I loved the first one, which Kendra wrote, this one not as much. This one continued the story of a sleepy town that is suddenly having drug issues and people have died. With this, I didn’t like the main character, Carly, but I think it’s my own personal view of stuff that happened in it and my own experiences. Other than that, good series with good characters.
04 ~ Blood Line by John J. Davis
Completed 10/12
3.5 of 5 stars
I received this book for my review from NG. This one was about a family whose home got broken into and they killed one of the intruders, injuring the other. The teenage daughter was the target of a kidnapping and she finds out her parents are former spies. The book seemed like it would be all action, and while the beginning and end were, not so much through the middle. Still good, and I look forward to the next book which I’m told is all crazy action.
05 – Shadow Man (Smoky Barrett 01) by Cody McFadyen
Completed 10/16
4 of 5 stars
This book was chosen for me for Carpe Librum’s “Pick my next Read” swap. It was good, really good but REALLY hard to read. The MC Smokey has lost her family to a serial killer and her pain is real and very very hard to deal with. At times I wanted to stop reading it, but it was so good in other ways. Other than that, the serial killer of the book is sadistic and deranged, just how I like my killers. Great book. I’m really glad it was chosen for me and I look forward to the next in the series.
06 ~ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Completed 10/17
5 of 5 stars
This was my 3rd read-thru of my favorite book. I listened to the audio for the 2nd time, read by the wonderful Jim Dale. I LOVE THIS BOOK, so much!! I have only ever re-read this, HPs and my Trixie’s. I don’t normally re-read but I love it too much to not! J If anyone still hasn’t read this book, it’s about dueling magicians, but what I love about the book is the circus itself, it’s so vibrant and alive. If I could live in any book, it would be this one!
07 ~ Marked (HRT 01) by Kaylea Cross
Completed 10/18 (start of a 24 hr read-a-thon)
3.5 of 5 stars
The covers for these grabbed my attention, so pretty, and thankfully the book ended up being enjoyable as well. A good romantic suspense. Rachel is an architect who comes across a man on the FBI’s most wanted list after he steals from her. Not knowing what to do, she turns to an old friend, Jake, for help. Action and romance abound. Great characters, good storyline.
08 ~ Targeted (HRT 02) by Kaylea Cross
Completed 10/18
3 of 5 stars
Next in the series, this one is about Celida and Tucker who we meet in the first book. There was obviously some unresolved issues there when we first met them, basically because they didn’t talk to each other. In this one, they decide to give a relationship a try. Meanwhile a man has taken people hostage in a bank and both Celida and Tucker are on the scene. I didn’t like the characters as much in this one, but I liked the storyline better.
09 ~ Missing in Death (In Death 29.5) by J.D. Robb
Completed 10/18
3 of 5 stars
I realized there were some In Death novellas I hadn’t read yet, so I decided to listen to them during the read-a-thon. I needed some shorter audiobooks while I was visiting blogs. In this one, there’s a bloodbath on a boat, yet no body, no witnesses. How did the killer get themselves and the body off the boat? I’m not typically a novella fan, I always want more, but for these, it served the purpose I needed and this was typical Eve so I enjoyed it.
10 ~ Possession in Death (In Death 31.5) by J.D. Robb
Completed 10/18
1.5 of 5 stars
I can’t say the same about this next novella. I think it’s probably my least favorite of the whole series and having read all 39 novels and all but these 4 novellas, that’s saying something. In this one, Eve was Possessed by the soul of a woman who died in Eve’s arms, or did she? VERY VERY weird, very different. Very not Dallas like at all and the whole thing was bizarre but when she and Roarke conversed in Russian I definitely had to laugh at that.
11 ~ 15 Minutes (Rewind 01) by Jill Cooper
Completed 10/18
5 of 5 stars
I REALLY enjoyed this one! This is about Lara, who decides to go back in time to save her mother from a mugging which killed her when Lara was 5. She didn’t realize how much she didn’t know about the situation and her actions change EVERYTHING, mostly not for the good. So, she spends her time trying to right all the bad while still keeping the good. Interesting, engaging and really really good! It seems to maybe be the first in the series and I would definitely read more. A really great time traveling tale.
12 ~ Chaos in Death (In Death 33.5) by J.D. Robb
Completed 10/18
2 of 5 stars
Once this one started, I probably should have moved onto something different, but I stuck with it. When I started listening to it, I was multitasking at the time (visiting blogs for the Read-a-Thon) so it wasn’t the best book to be reading for that because there were a TON of characters and I couldn’t follow all the action at times. It was really bizarre with what was described as a monster as the killer. It was some crazy stuff with drugs. Not one of my favorites.
13 ~ Taken in Death (In Death 37.5) by J.D. Robb
Completed 10/19
3 of 5 stars
Glad that I got a better one to round off my night of listening to these. This one was basically a modern day Hansel and Gretal story. Two kids were taken and Eve and team have to find them. Neat way that they tracked them, and so it was definitely a more enjoyable one. Kept my interest, unlike the two before it.
14 ~ The Sword Thief (39 Clues #3) by Peter Lerangis
Completed 10/19 (final book for the 24 hr Read-a-Thon)
3 of 5 stars
I first picked up 39 Clues when they started coming out YEARS ago, but had only read the first 2. Decided to listen to the whole series, since the audiobooks are short. This one was typical, running around trying to figure stuff out. In this they went to both Japan and Korea and made some alliances which they shouldn’t ever do. The series itself is ok, I definitely want to keep with it, maybe with taking breaks here and there like between the first two and this one.
15 ~ Running on Empty (LCR Elite 01) by Christy Reece
Completed 10/21
4 of 5 stars
Reece is one of my favorite authors. This is a new branch of her LCR series, and it was crazy. Crazy good though! J Sabrina watches her husband die in an explosion, or did she? Declan is actually kidnapped and tortured and he blames Sabrina. He’s rescued and hunts her down but doesn’t kill her (though he says he planned to). She’s rescued and they try to figure out who took him and why he believe she was involved. There were other rescues going on as well through LCR which has moved back to the states. The whole thing was crazy crazy, but really great!
16 ~ Queen of Clubs by Katie De Long
Completed 10/21
1 of 5 stars
I received this book for my review from NG and it was quite BAD. It was short (45 pages) and was supposed to be an erotica? The gist of the story ~ girl becomes stripper, girl meets DJ to set up her songs, girl and DJ fall madly in lust, they talk, they joke, he buys a private dance, they had dinner, they have sex ~ the end! Pretty bad! Definitely not what I consider erotica, the sex scene wasn’t even all that great.
17 ~ Beyond the Grave (39 Clues #4) by Jude Watson
Completed 10/21
2.5 of 5 stars
It’s time for my break from these for a bit. It’s the same thing over and over, just in a new country but I’m getting tired of everyone they meet betraying them. We get it, they are good, everyone else is bad. It’s getting old. :/ I guess I shouldn’t expect too much from a middle grade book. In this one, they are in Egypt and Morocco.
18 ~ Pushing the Limit (Alpha Ops 02) by Emmy Curtis
Completed 10/22
4 of 5 stars
I received this ARC for my review from NG. This book was a complete turn around from the first one. The first one was all about the sex and romance with some action. This one was all about the work, some action and a little bit of sex. Harry (Henrietta) is an archeologist who finds a piece of a plane on a dig. When she calls it in, they send out Matt who she had met at the wedding in the first book. They are trying to figure out if a plane went down, where, and where the pilots could be. Harry and Matt were likable, but definitely not as likeable as the MCs from the first book.
19 ~ The Shepherd (Shepherd 01) by Ethan Cross
Completed 10/24
4 of 5 stars
This book was chosen for me on a poll on my blog of what to read in Oct along with the book Running on Empty. I loved both. In this one, a serial killer is running around, a former cop is tangled up in trying to stop him and there are others who are controlling them both. Crazy book, insane ending. Definitely didn’t know what was going on, everything surprised me which is pretty hard to do with the reading I do, so yay for that! Really looking forward to the next one.
20 ~ Hidden (Alex Verus 05) by Benedict Jacka
Completed 10/26
3.5 of 5 stars
This is an Urban Fantasy series which normally isn’t my thing, but I decided to try these a while back because I liked the narrator, and I ended up enjoying them. They are good for Jim Butcher fans. I had tried the Butcher books and didn’t like them, but I’ve liked these so far. Alex is a mage who is fighting anyone who is doing evil. In this one, his friend, Ann, gets kidnapped and he’s searching for her. He followed her to a shadow realm where there’s a huge castle that he’s searching for her in. All that part, most of the book, was quite neat, it was like a labyrinth. My favorite so far.
21 ~ He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not (Deadly Games 01) by Lena Davis
Completed 10/29
3.5 of 5 stars
In this one, a killer is targeting two women every summer. Sometimes he kills both, sometimes he doesn’t. He plays a game to determine who he kills and who, if anyone, he lets go free. New Police Chief Logan is out to stop him and he seeks the help of Amanda, the only woman still alive who got away from him. She’s hesitant to help because she wants to keep the past behind her, but she realizes she needs to help if she can save someone from enduring what she did. Romance and chaos ensue in typically romantic suspense fasion. Really enjoyable characters, good storyline, lame ending. Overall, pretty enjoyable.
22 ~ Her Grave Secrets (Rogue River 03) by Kendra Elliot
Completed 10/30
4 of 5 stars
We’re back to Kendra with this one and back to the main characters of Stevie and Zane, the Police Chief and one of his Deputies. In this one we get some questions answered but there’s also more questions going on. Still a lot to figure out with just one book left in the series. I definitely prefer Stevie’s and Zane’s story over Carly and Seth. Stevie and Zane are comfortable in their relationship and are a enjoyable couple to read about.
What I posted in October
Books I Reviewed in October
- ARC Review:Over The Line by Emmy Curtis ~ 3.5 stars
- ARC Review:Gone to her Grave by Melinda Leigh ~ 3 stars
- Book Review:Blood Line by John J Davis ~ 3.5 stars
- ARC Review: Pushing the Limit by Emmy Curtis ~ 3.5 stars
- TBR Poll Review: Running on Empty & The Shepherd ~ 4 stars each
- ARC Review: Her Grave Secrets ~ 4 stars
My "It's Monday! What are you Reading?" posts ~
Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon Updates ~
With Dewey's 24 Hr RaT, I ended with these stats ~
I read for 18 Hours 30 minutes
I completed 8 books
I read 1,450 pages (not including comics)
Books read were: 3 novels on my Kindle Fire, 1 novel audiobook & 4 novella audiobooks
Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon Updates ~
With Wonderfully Wicked RaT, I ended with these stats ~
I completed 14 books
I read 3,094 pages
I completed 14 comics
I completed & reviewed 3 review books
Other bits of Randomness ~
- Our Anniversary Weekend ~ I talked about us for our 10 year Anniversary!
- Launch Blitz for Emmy Curtis ~ Over the Line book launch
- My Night Circus Dream Cast ~ who I'd choose for some of the characters
- Read Play Blog ~ video game character I'd be for Halloween
- Beat Your Best Read-a-Thon ~ a read-a-thon I came up with!
You had a fantastic month for books! Happy November reading!
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