What are You Reading Monday #13

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Week (links go to my review):

• Effortless by S.C. Stephens
• Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb (audiobook, audible)
• Private Vegas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (library)
• Hope to Die by James Patterson (library)
• Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil (ebook, for review)

Reading Now: 

• The Way We Fall by Cassia Leo (mine, bought)
• You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz (audiobook, library)
• Origin in Death by J.D. Robb (audiobook, audible)
• Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Scribd)

Next: 

• One Night in Close Exposure by Ashley C. Harris (review)
• Reckless by S.C. Stephens (Scribd)
• Thoughtful by S.C. Stephens (ebook, review)
• Croak by Gina Damico

Summary -

It's been a cold week for those of us in coastal NC.  No snow, just a few brief flurries that didn't stick but we woke up in the single digits Friday morning.  That's about 30 degrees below our normal lows and getting into the 20s just doesn't do it for this NC girl.  How long until Spring? It was a good week for reading and a good week to start back on the blog. It feels good to be reviewing again.

So how was your week?  What were your temps like where you were and how much snow did you get if any?  Any great books to share from the past week or ones you are looking forward to?

Book Review: Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #20)

Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4.5/5.0
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publish Date: February 1, 2005
Format: Download from Audible.com
Narrator: Susan Ericksen

My Review:
Twenty books in and no boredom or repetitiveness with this book series. Like Law & Order a series about a homicide cop, even one set in the future, has many directions and a long way it can go. Add to that that the characters are always growing and you have a series that can go on and on. I think the series is up to book 40 or so now, and I can see why.

It's another case for Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her crew of fellow cops and her husband, Roarke. This one is a murder of a family with one survivor left. The little girl who survives is also taken with Eve so that adds another layer to the Roarke-Eve relationship when they take her in to their house for protection. Seeing both of them interact with her is definitely interesting and I think well-portrayed. Neither is ready for kids and that is evident in amusing ways.

The murder is interesting and resolves in an exciting way. I was never bored. I also enjoyed the usual interactions with the characters. I love Eve and Roarke of course, but adding in Somerset, Mira, McNabb and Peabody definitely keeps things interesting. I love this series solely for the characters.

I listened to this on audio and I have to say the Susan Ericksen is an amazing narrator. Her voices for the characters are amazing. It's great because I never lose track of who is speaking even if my mind wanders away for a minute or two. I look forward to hearing more of her narration as this series continues.

Looking for great romantic suspense, then look no further. The In Death series never disappoints and the 20th installment adds more of what you come to expect in this series.

About Survivor in Death:
No affairs. No criminal connections. No DNA. No clues. Eve Dallas may be the best cop in the city - not to mention having the lavish resources of her husband Roarke at her disposal - but the Swisher case has her baffled. The family members were murdered in their beds with brutal, military precision. The state-of-the-art security was breached, and the killers used night vision to find their way through the cozy middle-class house. Clearly, Dallas is dealing with pros. The only mistake they made was to overlook the nine-year-old girl cowering in the dark in the kitchen. . .

Now Nixie Swisher is an orphan - and the sole eyewitness to a seemingly inexplicable crime. Kids are not Dallas's strong suit. But Nixie needs a safe place to stay, and Dallas needs to solve this case. Not only because of the promise she made to Nixie. Not only for the cause of justice. But also to put to rest some of her own darkest memories - and deepest fears. With her partner Peabody on the job, and watching her back - and with Roarke providing the kind of help only he can give - Lieutenant Eve Dallas is running after shadows, and dead-set on finding out who's behind them.

Challenges:
TBR reading
Audiobook Challenge
No Book Buying
Romantic Suspense
Outdo Yourself 

***I purchased this book with my monthly Audible.com credit.  No compensation was given for my opinions of this audiobook.  ***

Audiobook suggestions wanted

It's my new Audible credit day, which always makes me feel like a kid in a candy store.

So my simple question for today is: What audiobook(s) would you recommend?

Book Review: Private Vegas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Private Vegas by James Patterson
My rating: 3.0/5.0
Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Publish Date: January 26, 2015

Series: Private #9
How I obtained my copy: my local library



My Review:
I make no bones that James Patterson is my go-to guilty read, if you want to call it that. I read every book that comes out by him and his co-writers. I have since just before the Alex Cross series took off and while I was waiting for his next book to come out (once upon a time you had to do that), I read most of his back list.

The Private series has been a breath of fresh air to me. For some reason each book has really appealed to me. I love Jack Morgan but I have enjoyed the books about the satellite offices as well (London, Berlin, etc.) But my favorites involve Jack Morgan and his LA team.

So imagine me going into this book, it's call Private Vegas. I'm thinking it's about the Las Vegas office, only there is no Las Vegas office and most of the book takes place in LA. Only a very small amount page wise takes place in Las Vegas. I have no problem with it, it just seems the book was misnamed.

So on with the book. It's fast-paced just as you expect it to be. There are several things going on in the book. This book was a little disjointed for me. While I loved every page, I kind of felt like I was being pulled in several different directions. And each case/problem was being wrapped up quickly with very little input from the team. So I was disappointed. Disappointed enough to put the book down? No. Disappointed enough to quit the series? No. But I do have hopes the next book will pull things together more and I can see the LA crew at work again.

There are several loose ends that leave things open at least on the personal front that will make the next book interesting. So I will look forward to it and to seeing more of Jack and the crew soon.

If you enjoy James Patterson and are use to the "hit and miss" element of his titles, then go for it. It's an installment in the Private series and reading something is better than not reading. If you get frustrated easily then maybe it's not the book for you. But I stuck it out and enjoyed it and I think most people will.

About Private Vegas:
What happens in Vegas...stays Private.

Las Vegas is a city of contradictions: seedy and glamorous, secretive and wild, Vegas attracts people of all kinds--especially those with a secret to hide, or a life to leave behind. It's the perfect location for Lester Olsen's lucrative business. He gets to treat gorgeous, young women to five-star restaurants, splashy shows, and limo rides--and then he teaches them how to kill.

Private Jack Morgan spends most of his time in Los Angeles, where his top investigation firm has its headquarters. But a hunt for two criminals leads him to the city of sin--and to a murder ring that is more seductively threatening than anything he's witnessed before. PRIVATE VEGAS brings James Patterson's Private series to a sensational new level.

Challenges: 
Snagged @ The Library
Outdo Yourself

***I received this book from my amazing local library, go give yours a visit!  ***

Book Review: Effortless by S.C. Stephens

Effortless by S.C. Stephens
My rating: 5.0/5.0
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: January 8, 2013
Source: Scribd subscription




My Review:
I'm not sure what took me so long to read the second book in this series when I read Thoughtless in one day before it came out. I'm guessing life and my mood got in the way, because it wasn't getting into this book. Effortless, was well, effortless for me to read. Complete and total brain candy in the best way.

After reading how Kiera and Kellan got together in Thoughtless, I understand how they had trust issues in Effortless. And that was what this book mainly dealt with. Through it all I was cheering for them to make it. And at times it was painful to watch, the misunderstandings, the deceit, but I never wanted to quit reading. I just wanted them to work it out in their way. And that was what was great, watching them work to persevere through the trials they were given. Relationships aren't easy and you have to work at them.

I like Kiera and can relate to her. The lack of self-confidence, the way that all goes out the window when she drinks and the utter devotion of her partner, Kellan. However I am lucky to be in an almost 23-year-relationship. But I think even with time and maturity there are always doubts in our minds. Maybe not to the extreme that Kellan and Kiera deal with, but in truth I think the story is easy to relate to for anyone.

I love Kellan and Kiera. Both are interesting characters in their own right. Kellan, the damaged male up and coming rock star. Kiera from a normal family and raising but she makes that one mistake for true love that haunts her and her relationship. Both carry their scars and their hangups about their relationship. And I like them for this. I also like watching them grow and mature through the book. While my wonderful husband is no rock star, we did deal with long-distance relationship for 5 years while we went to colleges 8 hours apart one year and 3 hours apart for the rest. I understand them and the storyline well (okay we're both from fairly normal families, but still it's easy to relate to).

The storyline moved fast and I couldn't wait to read it each day. The last night of reading I almost finished it, but my eyes kept closing no matter how I tried to stay up reading to 1am (with work the next day).

So this book was an awesome second installment in a series. I am one who often finds the second book doesn't interest me like the first and third do, but S.C. Stephens has done an amazing job with the second book, making it just as interesting as the first book. There is definitely no lag in the series here for me and I can't wait to read Reckless and then read Thoughtful from Kellan's POV.

About Effortless:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author S.C. Stephens comes the new adult series everyone is talking about, and a love triangle you won't forget.

After being caught in the middle of a love triangle that led to a devastating betrayal, Kiera pledged to learn from the mistakes she'd made. She was determined to never again inflict that kind of pain on anyone, especially the soulful, talented man who held her heart. But life offers new challenges for every relationship, and when Kiera's love is put to the ultimate test, will it survive? Love is easy, trust is hard.

Challenges:

Outdo Yourself
Contemporary Romance

***I read this book through my Scribd subscription. I was not compensated in any way for this review. ***

#Shelflove: Book Budgets

Book Budgets.  Something I have never done before, I've just bought books when I had the money and wanted to.  But this year I have pledged to read from my TBR pile.  How have I been doing?  Below are the books I have read that I bought before December 31, 2014.

1. Sometimes It Lasts by Abbi Glines (on my ereader since 2013)
2. Kiro's Emily by Abbi Glines (freebie from December 2014)
3. Tidal by Emily Snow (have had the audio since early 2014)
4. Enforce by Rachel van Dyken (bought December 2014) 
5. Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines (bought December 2014)
6. Bad for You by Abbi Glines (review audiobook from mid-2014)
7. Hold on Tight by Abbi Glines (review audiobook from mid-2014)
8. Take a Chance by Abbi Glines (bought 2014)
9. One More Chance by Abbi Glines (review audiobook from 2014)
10. Rush Too Far by Abbi Glines (review audiobook from 2014)
11. Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb (audiobook from audible several years ago)

I've read 25 books so far this year so coming in close to 1/2 from my TBR feels good.

Now onto budget. Not buying books is out for me. Some of my favorite authors, series will come out through the year.  Then I'm sure there will be some new authors and books I will want and some book bargains that are too good to pass up. So I have set a budget this year at $20 a month along with my audible credit.  I also have a Scribd subscription but I had that before the new year.
 
In January I bought when I wanted, but came in under the $20.  This month I planned better and each pay period, I will put $10 on my amazon gift card (the electronic kind) and buy using that and that alone.  So far this month I haven't even spent the first $10 and get to put my next $10 on Friday.  I also expect to throw some of my birthday money to books, but that's acceptable since it's gift money :)

In January I bought:

1. Wicked by Jennifer Armentrout - $4.24
2. Inspire by Cora Cormack - $1.06
3. Beautiful Redemption by Jamie Maguire - $6.39
4. Ruin Me by Jessica Sorenson - $1.06
5. The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe - $2.68
6. Wicked by Emily Snow - $1.06

January Total:  $16.49 (less than budget!)

In February I bought so far:

1. Never, Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher - $1.06  (and it's already been read!)

So how are you doing with your challenge?  Haven't joined the challenge, then check it out here.

Book Review: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
My rating: 5.0/5.0
Publish Date: July 16, 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Where my book came from: I read this through Scribd.com subscription service


My Review:
Dangerous Girls is a book that can inspire all kinds of reactions. First and foremost, I loved the suspense, the movement from the present to the past and back and the fact that the characters were true to teenagers. The book is disturbing and even more so that it was ripped from the headlines. But overall I absolutely loved this book, if not the subject matter (dealing with the murder of a teenage girl, but then I picked it out). :)

Ms. Haas does an amazing job developing the characters through flash-backs where you get to see when and how Elise and Anna became friends, how Anna ended up with Tate and how they all ended up on vacation together. Obviously some of the characters are not as fleshed out, but the important ones are (Anna, Elise and Tate). And besides the characters, the author really makes you feel in this book. Outrage at the murder, outrage at the fact that Anna is being tried and outrage at how certain things happen during the trial.

I spent the book truly wondering who did it. Yes I had my suspicions. But when it was all said and done, I still didn't see it coming even though I was right. I thought it was plotted well and I never found my interest level waning. Every time I put the book down I picked it up again as soon as I could (have 7 1/2 minutes while waiting for macaroni to cook for kids, great reading time!)

Ms. Haas really scores with her writing, making Dangerous Girls intriguing, horrifying and also an interesting story of friendship and justice. If you love a good suspenseful young adult novel, then this is a great one to pick up.

About Dangerous Girls:
It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.

As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine...

Challenges:
New Author
Outdo Yourself

***I read this book through my Scribd.com subscription service.  I was not compensated in any way for this review. ***