Ranting Thoughts: Midnight Sacrifice

Midnight Sacrifice

by Melinda Leigh
Book 2 of Midnight

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  1.5 Stars

One by one, people are mysteriously disappearing from a small Maine town.  Four months ago, a ruthless murderer killed two people and kidnapped three more, including Danny Sullivan's sister, who barely escaped.  Unfortunately so did the killer, vanishing without a trace into the vast wilderness.  When the police fail to find his sister's captor, Danny returns to Maine to hunt him down.  He begins his search with another survivor, bed and breakfast owner Mandy Brown, but her refusal to cooperate raises Danny's suspicions.

What is the beautiful innkeeper hiding?  Mandy Brown has a secret.  But sexy Danny Sullivan, his relentless questions, and the desire that simmers between them threaten to expose the truth.  A revelation that puts her family in danger. As more people disappear, it becomes clear the killer is planning another ritual--and that he's circling in on Mandy.

I seem to be in the minority about this book (and maybe the series overall).

In a nutshell, this book was too long for the material it presented, with our heroine rehashing her own "woe is me" story on repeat several times.  Mandy probably could have been a better character to relate with if she'd just get over herself.  She was a great independent and strong type, with resources and skills that many women would kill for.  But her unwillingness to speak up about the threats she'd been getting from the antagonist, Nathan was what bugged me the most.  What she knew, and the fact that she'd been getting threats, might have been helpful--after all, everyone thought that Nathan might be out of the area or dead, so the manhunt had been called to a temporary halt.

Instead, she spent the entire book moping about how her life had turned out, about how she and her family are now in danger from a crazy man out to make human sacrifices, about how she'd do anything to protect her family... and yet when she's questioned, she adamantly denies the fact that Nathan could still be alive.  I guess I just didn't understand her logic, because allowing someone to know that her family might be in danger would have gotten her more protection.  Accepting help from someone who could keep an eye on her property and her family could have kept her brother safer.

Giving the authorities, or even our main hero, the information necessary to help find Nathan is probably a better way to make sure her family stays safe.  Because no matter what she was thinking, the fact that her brother was already on Nathan's radar meant that nothing she could do, including keeping silent, would ensure her brother's safety--as is ultimately proven by the end of the book.

But she decided to go the stubborn, independent, stupid route of, "I can take care of myself and my own."  Except that she wasn't equipped to do any of that, nor did she possess the skills necessary to combat a half-maniacal, determined psycho killer.

But anyway... in the end, it was all a moot point.  It didn't even seem like anything Mandy knew about Nathan could have done much to help capture him--simply it would have proven that there was a chance that random hikers disappearing wasn't just another case of "hikers disappear in the mountains all the time," due to getting lost or eaten by a bear or whatever.  But the whole "if we find Nathan's secret girlfriend, then we can find Nathan" thing was a waste of story line, because it went nowhere.

Which brings me to how laughable the entire law enforcement investigations turned out.  As Danny kept bringing up, over and over again, the last time a couple hikers/campers disappeared, it wasn't by accident or due to nature.  So the fact that every cop so readily dismissed a second set of campers disappearing, only months after the first incident involving disappearing campers and ritualistic sacrifice of living humans...  It occurred to me that everyone in this book was in denial except for Danny and Jed.  It seemed like there had been no effort put into the entire investigation, whether on the side of the manhunt to find Nathan, or even about the disappearance of the campers.

And while we might say that the entire town only had one cop who wasn't exactly top notch police material, there was also the state police that kept being referred to.  There was no talk about what they were even doing.

And when the first set of campers disappeared, I was actually quite surprised that a full scale Search and Rescue wasn't launched--especially when a child was involved.  This just reeked of poor outlining, to be honest.  Everyone was all, "They probably just fell in the river, got carried downstream.  We'll see them surface at some point."  But... what if they hadn't fallen into the river?  What if, psycho kidnapping for ritual sacrifice aside, they'd gotten lost?  We're just going to leave it to presumption that they probably just fell in the river?  The apparently quite shallow river?  And got carried downstream?

Is nobody going to even consider the possibility that they might be wandering lost?  Even if we don't want to contemplate the fact that there's a kidnapper out there, already running from a statewide manhunt?  Why would we take the chance that they could be lost and not send a team in to look for them?

And what if they DID just "fall into the river?"  Why are we still NOT looking for them?  What if they are still alive in the river?  What if they did just "get carried downstream" and managed to climb out of said supposed river scenario?  What if a child is shivering to death after being soaked in a river?

And nobody thinks it's worth it to further investigate?  Or send SAR out to find this child?

But anyway...

Meanwhile, Danny was pushy and one-dimensional.  He was the only person with sense in this book, but he let his emotions and his dick lead his actions.  But otherwise, he didn't really stand out much.

Every other character was also quite one-dimensional, truth be told.

I liked Mandy's brother, Bill.  And I liked the dogs.  There should have been more about dogs.  I have a hard time believing that someone who made a living out of training dogs didn't at least train a few for Search and Rescue.  Especially in a town where there are mountains and woods, and apparently campers and hikers get lost on a regular basis, and just fall into rivers and hypothetically get carried downstream, just waiting to be discovered later.

The logic holes in this book are insulting.

That's probably about it.

Brief Thoughts: Midnight Exposure

Midnight Exposure

by Melinda Leigh
Book 1 of Midnight

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  2.0 Stars

Point, click, die.

When two hikers disappear, their hometown in Maine blames the blinding storms.  But the truth is far more sinister.  Unaware of the danger, tabloid photographer Jayne Sullivan follows an anonymous tip to find the most reclusive sculptor in the art world.  Instead, she finds sexy handyman Reed Kimball—and a small town full of fatal secrets.

Five years ago, Reed buried his homicide detective career along with his wife.  But when a hiker is found dead, the local police chief asks Reed for help.  Why was a Celtic coin found under the body?  And where is the second hiker?  Avoiding the media, Reed doesn’t need a murder, a missing person, or a nosy photographer.  Then Jayne is attacked, and her courage is his undoing.

Reed must risk everything to protect her - and find a cunning killer.

This book would have been more interesting without all the romantic angst, which, when the conclusion rolls around, seemed awfully moot, as none of the misunderstandings really affected anyone's feelings.  There was instalust, which quickly became instalove, and a couple who are unwilling to talk to each other, even though they are willing to sleep with each other, and think that they're in love.

At the very least our heroine wasn't TSTL, but that's little consolation for the fact that a whole bunch of other stuff in the book bugs the crap out of me.  Not least of all was the way too predictable murder mystery / crime thriller.  I most definitely saw the killer's identity from the beginning.

As I have a predisposition to give second chances to an author who didn't thoroughly annoy me--because this book was less frustrating than it was just formulaic and predictable--I will probably move onto the next book and see how that one works out.

Otherwise, pending my decision to continue or drop this series, I'll have to move onto my backup series for the Can You Read a Series in a Month? Challenge for this month.

Meanwhile, this book was also read for the 24 Festive Tasks, Door 18: Winter Solstice / Yuletide:
'Read any book that takes place in December; OR with ice or snow on the cover; OR that revolves around the (summer or winter) equinox; OR a collection of poetry by Hafez'.

This book takes place in December.

I'll come back and add the Door's graphic when it is officially revealed!

Can You Read a Series In A Month? November 2018 Challenge

Can You Read A Series In A Month? Challenge Sign Up
hosted by Michelle and Berls Because Reading

I feel like I'm a little late to this party, but since the challenge doesn't start yet, I'm going to hop right in.  I almost forgot about this reading challenge, and it's entirely possible I missed one of them this year already.  I'm not sure.  Indeed, I've just recently climbed my way out of a massive reading slump that lasted about four months, so it's not like I was really paying much attention to the reading/blogging world.

Anyway, I really do like these mini challenges that only last a month or two, and that aren't exactly hardcore.  Reading a series in a month, with only three books being the minimum requirement is something I'm sure I'll be able to do.

And fortunately for me, there's a particular series I've been telling myself I've been needing to read anyway, and had planned to read since the beginning of September.  In fact, all the books in this series had been an initial selection for another reading game (Halloween Bingo 2018), but due to an ever-changing reading mood, it got pushed back.

But at this point, I'm very willing to make a commitment to make sure I finally get to this series.

With Halloween Bingo coming to a close, I'm feeling a little freer in my book selections, so that helps, too!


The rules are pretty simple:  Read or finish one series in one month.  It can be a series you've already started, but there must be at least 3 published books that you have not yet read.  So if you want to read a trilogy and you haven't started, it'll count.  If you want to read a four book series and you've already read the first book, it'll count, too.

For more information and more answers to questions about the rules, refer to the sign up post link above.

My Series Pick

Midnight by Melinda Leigh

Completed Reviews: (links will be updated as each book is read)
1.  Midnight Exposure
2.  Midnight Sacrifice
3.  Midnight Betrayal
4.  Midnight Obsession

*Click on series title for GR series page. // Click on book title for my review.

My Backup Series

Blackthorn & Grim by Juliet Marillier

Ramblings

I don't know if the Midnight series is complete yet, but no new book has been published that I know of.  Hopefully a new book won't suddenly pop up in the middle of November and I can happily breeze through this romantic suspense series without rearranging any of my reading plans.  I'm in the mood for a crime thriller / romantic suspense, so I'm hoping that these books will help.

Meanwhile, I'd also been considering getting Juliet Marillier's Blackthorn & Grim series read, and I've been seeing a lot of good things about this trilogy.  I've had the first two books sitting on my Kindle for some time and was happy when the last book was finally published... then just let all three books sit there for another two years.  So it's time to get to them.  If I have time, I will try to squeeze this one in.  Or, in the worst case scenario, if I end up not really liking Midnight, at least I can fall back on a tried and true author!

Can You Read a Series in a Month? June 2017 Wrap Up

Can You Read A Series In A Month? Challenge Sign Up
hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading and Berls @ Fantasy is more fun

See Also:  Wrap Up posts & link up @ Because Reading
See Also:  My Can You Read a Series in a Month? Summary Post


Once again, I had great fun reading a wonderful series.  Although I had already read the first book prior to the challenge, the remaining three books were still great new experiences for me!

As a refresher, I'm re-posting the series I chose along with my updated review links.  For the Goodreads series page screen shot, please scroll to end of the post.

I look forward to any other book by Courtney Milan.  And also, until the next time our lovely hosts have this challenge!

My Series Pick

Brothers Sinister by Courtney Milan

Completed Reviews: (updated on 6/28/2017)
1.  The Duchess War -- Read Pre-June 2017
2.  The Heiress Effect -- 06/04/2017
3.  The Countess Conspiracy -- 06/07/2017
4.  The Suffragette Scandal -- 06/20/2017
novella 0.5:  The Governess Affair -- Already Read
novella 1.5:  A Kiss for Midwinter -- Read Pre-June 2017
novella 4.5:  Talk Sweetly to Me -- 06/26/2017

*Click on series title for GR series page. // Click on book title for my review.

GR Series Page Screenshot

And as requested by our lovely hosts, here is a screenshot of the Goodreads series page, showing all the books I read for this series!

If you go to the actual series page at Goodreads, there are two other entries:  One is an anthology collection that includes the prequel novella, The Governess Affair.  The other is a complete boxed set for the whole series.

Brief Thoughts: Talk Sweetly to Me (novella)

Talk Sweetly to Me

by Courtney Milan
Brothers Sinister #4.5 (novella)

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0 Stars

Nobody knows who Miss Rose Sweetly is, and she prefers it that way.  She's a shy, mathematically-minded shopkeeper's daughter who dreams of the stars.  Women like her only ever come to attention through scandal.  She'll take obscurity, thank you very much.

All of England knows who Stephen Shaughnessy is.  He's an infamous advice columnist and a known rake.  When he moves into the house next door to Rose, she discovers that he's also wickedly funny, devilishly flirtatious, and heart-stoppingly handsome.  But when he takes an interest in her mathematical work, she realizes that Mr. Shaughnessy isn't just a scandal waiting to happen.  He's waiting to happen to her... and if she's not careful, she'll give in to certain ruination.

This novella felt immensely too short and I wish we could have gotten more about Rose and Stephen.  Their story didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have been considering how wonderfully created Rose's character is.  I loved the astronomer geekiness in her, with her super excellent computing skills, and how she kind of just nerds out at the idea of being able to watch the Venus transit.

Anytime we get a super smart female character in any book, with little quirks like Rose has, I get all giddy and smiley.  We do not have nearly enough of these types of heroines in fiction--smart, decisive, ambitious... not doormats.  And yet at the same time, sweet and level-headed.

Stephen was a bit hard to like at the beginning, but then he starts flinging the jokes and I'm reminded of his brief appearances in the fourth Brothers Sinister book, and how much I enjoyed reading his 'Actual Man' column excerpts.  His penchant for being a jokester also melded quite well with his sudden turn to seriousness... sort of.  There was a slight disconnect, but it's barely noticeable.

It's just that, I'm not entirely sure what Stephen's mission had been when he wanted to get to know Rose.  When he claims that his intentions weren't seduction, I actually kind of believe him.  Because I'm not even sure he knew what he was trying to accomplish.

Anyway, this was a great addition to the Brothers Sinister series, though I do wish we could have seen more of the previous characters, rather than just having a mention of one.  There was some touching upon the race relations that I think was handled very well--the way Rose and her sister were treated by Dr. Chillingsworth was appallingly upsetting.  There were so many times that I just wanted to hit the guy for his "women like her" comments.  But that was (and sometimes still is) the reality of life.  And so it makes me happy to see Rose stand up for herself and her sister, eventually.

Overall, Talk Sweetly to Me was a very enjoyable novella that kind of just sucks you right in.  Before you know it, it's over and you feel that gaping hole that reminds you that the Brothers Sinister series is officially completed.

A Squee and a Ramble: The Suffragette Scandal

The Suffragette Scandal

by Courtney Milan
Book 4 (final) of Brothers Sinister

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  5.0 Stars

An idealistic suffragette...

Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has put her heart and soul into her newspaper, known for its outspoken support of women's rights.  Naturally, her enemies are intent on destroying her business and silencing her for good.  Free refuses to be at the end of her rope... but she needs more rope, and she needs it now.

...a jaded scoundrel...

Edward Clark's aristocratic family abandoned him to die in a war-torn land, so he survived the only way he could: by becoming a rogue and a first-class forger.  When the same family that left him for dead vows to ruin Miss Marshall, he offers his help.  So what if he has to lie to her?  She's only a pawn to use in his revenge.

...and a scandal seven years in the making.

But the irrepressible Miss Marshall soon enchants Edward.  By the time he realizes that his cynical heart is hers, it's too late.  The only way to thwart her enemies is to reveal his scandalous past... and once the woman he loves realizes how much he's lied to her, he'll lose her forever.

"Look at the tasks you listed, the ones you think are impossible.  You want men to give women the right to vote.  You want men to think of women as equals, rather than as lesser animals who go around spewing illogic between our menstrual cycles."

He still wasn't saying anything.

"All your tasks are about men," she told him.  "And if you haven't noticed, this is a newspaper for women."

Do you know that giddy feeling you get when you realize you've found yet another gem in your reading life?  Another set of characters so lovely that you can't seem to stop following their plight?  And you bemoan the ending of the book because you wish there were so much more?

When The Suffragette Scandal's ending came around, I kept hoping there would be a few more pages left.  And then when the epilogue finished... well, it suddenly struck me that the entire series was now at it's end.  Sure, there's one more novella that I have yet to finish, but if history is any indication, the novellas in this series aren't exactly as squee-worthy as the main novels have been.

Meanwhile, I'm suffering a bout of 'Book Hangover' as well as a case of, "I don't know which book I liked more:  One or Four."  Because as much as I squee-ed about the first book, and as much as I loved our main male character from The Duchess War, I maybe love Free and The Suffragette Scandal even more.  Except that this last book in the four-book series does one better and gives us another dose of the humble and wonderful Duke of Clermont near the end, and I recall all the reasons I loved him so much from the first book.

So, despite this being a completely moot point, I don't know which book I love more, and I don't know which character I love more, and I don't know which couple I love more.

Free and Edward were stupendous together!  I loved all their witty banter... though I DO have to admit that a lot of it was Free's round-about logic, her blunt personality, and her heck-care attitude.  This is a woman who truly doesn't care what people think of her, and even dares the world to challenge her beliefs and her life's work.  She doesn't bat an eye at any type of impropriety and even walks into it all head on.

"You should read more of my newspaper.  I published an excellent essay by Josephine Butler on this very subject.  Men use sexuality as a tool to shut up women.  We are not allowed to speak on matters that touch on sexual intercourse--even if they concern our own bodies and our own freedom--for fear of being labeled indelicate.  Any time a man wishes to scare a women into submission, he need only add the question of sexual attraction, leaving the virtuous woman with no choice but to blush and fall silent.  You should know, Mr. Clark, that I don't intend to fall silent.  I have already been labeled indelicate; there is nothing you can add to that chorus."

His mouth had dropped open on sexuality; it opened wider on intercourse, and wider still on attraction.

I can't really express how much I loved Free and her care-free spirit since the first time she was introduced in the second book of this series.  The Suffragette Scandal pretty much cemented my love for her.  It also helps that she has a distinctly endearing personality that comes off both cutesy and snarky at the same time.  This ongoing "punctuation" joke has been delightful, and made me smile a lot:

"Suffragette," she said, "is pronounced with an exclamation point at the end. Like this: 'Huzzah! Suffragettes!'"

 "I don't pronounce anything with exclamation points."

"No? Then there's no time like the present to start. Repeat after me: 'Let's hear three cheers for the women's vote!'"

"Cheering is entirely beyond my capabilities."

"Oh, too bad."  Her tone was sympathetic, but her eyes were mocking.  "I see now.  You're a womanthrope."

"No.  I am a realist.  Likely you've never met my sort before."

"Oh, I'm sure I have."  She rolled her eyes.  "I've heard everything.  Let me see.  You believe that women will vote for the handsomest candidate without using their faculties of reason.  Is that the size of your realism?"

He met her accusing gaze with an annoyed look of his own.  "Do I look like a fool?  I don't see any reason for women not to vote; you're no stupider, on average, than the typical man.  If there were any fairness in the world, suffragettes would succeed in all their political aims.  But the world is not fair.  You're going to spend your entire life fighting for gains that will be lost in political bickering ten years after they've been achieved.  That's why I won't spare you three cheers.  They'll serve no purpose but to waste my breath."

"Good heavens.  You're right.  I haven't met anyone like you."

And then she smiled at him.  "Well, Monsieur le Realist.  Call on me if you ever find yourself in need of an exclamation point.  I have an entire box of them."

***

"That's ridiculous!" Mr. Clark growled.  "You're extremely reasonable."

"Mr. Clark, did you just use an exclamation point?  I could have sworn I heard one."

He didn't even blink.  "Of course not," he scoffed.  "I borrowed one of yours.  It's allowed, when I'm talking of you."

***

"I heard it most distinctly," he told her.  "You might have said 'It's you,' but there was a distinct exclamation mark at the end.  In fact, I think there were two."

"Oh, dear," Free looked down, fluttering her eyelashes demurely.  "Is my punctuation showing once more?"

And now I'm just filling the space with quotes and passages I've been highlighting throughout the book...

So here's another one I liked:

"I'm tired," Free told her brother.  "Thank you for everything.  I'd never have been able to rid myself of Delacy without you."  She leaned up and kissed his cheek.  "You're my favorite brother."

"I'm your only brother," he said in dark amusement.

"You see?" Free spread her arms.  "I can't count on any of the others to even exist when I need them."

But there was just so much fun, humorous, witty quips and exchanges.  Even some one-liners that made me laugh out loud!  And then, in the middle of it all, a lot of thoughtful insight that really DID make it so easy to love this book, and Free, and even Edward (for all his flaws).  The rest of the characters might have been a tad boring (except for Robert, never Robert!), or frustrating, but following Free and Edward through their conflicts and their love story really just made every other quibble and disagreement I found dim out into insignificance.

In a word, I just loved this book.  Free is wonderful!  And she and Edward are so amazing fun together, even if they didn't really have super great romantic chemistry.

Oh the FEELS!

And then there's this little gem:

May 28, 1877

As I don't believe in sending letters filled with treacle-like sentiment, I feel as if I should... send you a puppy or something.

Alas.  I don't know if puppies keep when sent through the mails--and I doubt they'd pass through customs these days.

It's too bad you aren't a pirate, as you'd once planned.  That would make puppy delivery far more efficient.  I'd bring up my own ship next to you and send you an entire broadside of puppies.  You'd be buried in very small dogs.  You'd be far too busy with puppy care to worry about anything else.  This is now sounding more and more invasive, and less and less cheering--and nonetheless I have yet to meet anyone who was not delighted by a wriggling mass of puppies.  If I ever did meet such a person, he would deserve misery.

Do not doubt the power of the puppy-cannon.

Edward

P.S.  If there is no puppy attached to this message, it is because it was confiscated at customs.  Bah.  Customs is terrible.

In spite of the fact that I had no idea what Edward was babbling on about, and how so out of character his entire letter seemed... well... PUPPY-CANNON.  =D


Overall, I'm really going to miss this series and the characters.  That Book Hangover is probably going to be here to stay for some time...


***

Free Friday Read #1

Page Count = 322
Cash Award = $6.00

Updated Bank Balance = $85.00

Booklikes-opoly | Free Friday Read #1! and Happy News!

Booklikes-opoly

hosted by Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue

@ Booklikes, the book blogging social platform

Ani's BL-opoly Summary Page

The Big Game Shake Up -- Starting 6/15/2017!!!

You would think a book as short and fast-paced as Don't Ever Stop wouldn't take long to read... but when Real Life clashes with Reading Life, things tend to get side-lined.  As I'd stated in a previous post, my little brother's wedding has come and gone, and the few days surrounding this event seemed like nothing but hectic activity.  There were relatives from out of town to entertain, there were a lot of last minute preparations for the wedding day, then there was the full-day event of the wedding day itself.

Truth be told, weddings are definitely very happy, wonderful, yet exhausting occasions.  Everyone's been pretty tired, and since I had to head right back to work the next night after the wedding, I think my body got quite worn out.  Days later, my feet are still sore; and needless to say, I got very little reading done.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

In this picture, they are feeding each other seafood soup.  I can vouch that it was delicious!

Anyway, after hijacking my own Booklikes-opoly update post for a bit of rambling news, onto the actual Booklikes-opoly update post!


First of all, I still haven't finished Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly, the book from my most recent Roll #18.  It's not that it's a bad book or anything, on the contrary, it's starting to get interesting.  But there have been so much going on (see above), that reading has been the last thing on my mind.

But now with relatives all gone back home, and life getting back to its normal scheduling, I think I can finally settle back into my usual routine.


Secondly...

The rules have been tweaked, which means a lot of things, all of which you can find at the above linky that I will keep on all of my BLopoly update posts now.  Just like that (see above--all the way above to beginning of the post).  Or you could just click here since the first half of my post is a bit long.

Anyway, aside from doubling cash rewards, a location multiplier, and the opportunity to spend cash for extra rolls, Moonlight has also given us Free Book Friday:

Fourth is free book Friday. Regardless of the square you are on, you get a free choice on the next seven Fridays to read anything.

And basically, how this works is as follows:

Free Friday books are independent of the square, and are a way to earn a few extra dollars.  They do not count towards the location multiplier!

They do not have to be finished on Friday, they just have to be started on Friday.  They can be finished on any day of the week.  However, you can only have one Free Friday book going at a given time, so if the player hasn't finished the preceding Friday's free book, they don't get to start a new one.

So... just another way of making some extra reward money!  Yay!

I was going to wait until the next Friday to start my Free Book, seeing as how I've got two books going right now, and having some trouble concentrating on reading with all the real life activities going on.  But I figured, you know, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and start a new book today to get the ball rolling.

Worst case scenario is that I don't finish it by next Friday and have to skip next Friday's free book.

So after some thought about what I wanted to read, I decided to get started on the last book in the Brothers Sinister series, which will successfully fulfill my Read a Series in a Month Challenge for June.

What better book to start my Free Friday read than a book with an MC named Free!  Well, Frederica Marshall, who goes by the nickname "Free," but who's splitting hairs?

And to be totally honest, with this book, I'm almost certain I will finish it before next Friday... unfortunately, that means I don't know how badly that will interfere with me trying to finish up my current Blopoly book, Don't Ever Stop.

We'll just play by ear.

The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan is 322 pages.  And according to the new Game Shake Up rules, since all money awards have been doubled, this book will be worth $6.00!  If I finish this book before my regular BLopoly book, that will bring my Bank Balance to $82.00!


Current Bank:   $76.00

• Roll #1 (4/15):  A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn / 345 pages = $3.00
• Roll #2 (4/17):  The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #3 (4/21):  False Memory by Dean Koontz // Donated 200 pages ($2.00) to the Jail Library
• Roll #4.1 (4/23):  Schoolgirl by DAZAI Osamu / 50 pages = $1.00
• Roll #4.2 (4/23):  Don't Look Away by Leslie A. Kelly / 323 pages = $3.00
• Roll #4.3 (4/23):  Rolled three doubles, ended up in Jail / 300 pages of sentence to be served // 332 pages read total
• Storming the Castle by Eloisa James // 138 pages served
• False Memory by Dean Koontz // 194 pages served
• Roll #5 (4/29):  The Duchess War by Courtney Milan / 271 pages = $3.00
• Roll #6.1 (4/29):  SKIPPED
• Roll #6.2 (4/29):  Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz / 352 pages = $3.00
• Roll #7 (4/29):  Backwoods by Jill Sorenson / 378 pages = $3.00
• Roll #8 (4/29):  Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler / 336 pages = $3.00
• Roll #9 (5/9):  The Thing About Love by Julie James / 380 pages = $3.00
• Roll #10.1 (5/11):  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton / 468 pages = $5.00
• Roll #10.2 (5/11):  Two Guys Detective Agency by Stephanie Bond / 255 pages = $3.00
• Roll #11 (5/18):  The London Deception by Addison Fox / 282 pages = $3.00
• Roll #12 (5/20):  BL Task - Double rewards on next read & share w/ a friend / No book read.
• Roll #13 (5/22):  Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts / 402 pages = $5.00
• Roll #14 (5/27):  Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle / 351 pages = $3.00
• Roll #15 (5/27):  The Rome Affair by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.1 (5/27):  Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis / 281 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.2 (5/27):  Once a Thief by Kay Hooper / 326 pages = $3.00
• Roll #17 (6/6):  The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan / 318 pages = $3.00
• Roll #18 (6/8):  Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly / 281 pages = $3.00 pending
• Free Friday #1 (6/16):  The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan / 322 pages = $6.00 pending

Thoughts: The Countess Conspiracy

The Countess Conspiracy

by Courtney Milan
Book 3 of Brothers Sinister

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0  Stars

Sebastian Malheur is the most dangerous sort of rake: an educated one.  When he’s not scandalizing ladies in the bedchamber, he’s outraging proper society with his scientific theories.  He’s desired, reviled, acclaimed, and despised—and he laughs through it all.

Violet Waterfield, the widowed Countess of Cambury, on the other hand, is entirely respectable, and she’d like to stay that way.  But Violet has a secret that is beyond ruinous, one that ties her irrevocably to England’s most infamous scoundrel: Sebastian’s theories aren’t his.  They’re hers.

So when Sebastian threatens to dissolve their years-long conspiracy, she’ll do anything to save their partnership... even if it means opening her vulnerable heart to the rake who could destroy it for good.

I have to honestly admit that even though this third book was very enjoyable, there were a few things that kept it a little lower on my personal book ranking scale compared to the previous two books.  Frankly, Sebastian and Violet were great together, and I loved how well they molded to each other.  And while both of their individual conflicts were meaningfully parallel, the events and set up felt deliberately created to make this couple a "No one understands me better than you" type of romance.  I'm not sure how to feel about it outside of a little 'meh,' truth be told.

If I had to pinpoint one disappointment, it would be that Violet and Sebastian seemed like a much more amusing, interesting couple as side characters in the first book.  But the ending of the second book gave me a bad feeling about them, so I wasn't really as looking forward to this couple as I would have been.

Then I started into The Countess Conspiracy and ended up with conflicted feelings.  Once again, Violet and Sebastian are a great couple.  But I can't help but feel like the rest of the characters were purposefully placed in a bad light just to showcase how special these two were, to each other, to all of their friends, to the world in general...  I mean, this book made me a little upset that I had gotten irritated with Robert for a short scene wherein he acts like a complete, inconsiderate, and insensitive jerk--this makes me sad because I love Robert!

Of course, compared to all the jerk-holes featured in this book--Violet's sister, Lily; Sebastian's brother, Benedict; Miss High Pitched woman with her uninformed judgments--Robert's and Oliver's little moment of being insensitive jerk-holes were quickly forgotten, in light of, they quickly repented and were very apologetic.  It still didn't make me happy though.

As individuals, Violet and Sebastian were good people with very unique, promising characteristics, with lots of potential for growth.  They weren't what I'd been expecting, to be honest.  And as intimate friends, they were wonderful together.  I loved how they fought and made up, read each other's minds at will, and understood each other without having to ask.

Once again, this was definitely a "made for each other" type of romance... and while those things are sweet, they were also a bit too deliberate in the telling.

And so, romance-wise, I'd have to say that while Sebastian played the dream, ideal man to perfection, Violet's own behaviors and actions were a little frustrating.  These two made better intimate, soul-mate-like friends than lovers.  Even knowing all the reasons behind the way Violet responds to other people, I still found the way she treats Sebastian a bit hard to agree with, especially after he'd always been nothing but sweet to her, never asking anything in return for just being able to be around her.

Anyway, The Countess Conspiracy is not necessarily my favorite of the Brothers Sinister series, even though it was enjoyable and easy to breeze through.  Meanwhile, there were still a lot of things that happen that I'm happy with, despite those few quibbles I mentioned.

So, conflicting feelings, yes.  But overall, enjoyable and no regrets about continuing this series.  If anything, the short moments that Oliver's youngest sister, Free, was present made me look forward to the last book even more!


***

Booklikes-opoly

Roll #17:
Book is set during Victoria's reign.

Page Count: 318
Cash Award: +$3.00

Updated Bank Balance:  $76.00

Rambling Thoughts: The Heiress Effect

The Heiress Effect

by Courtney Milan
Book 2 of Brothers Sinister

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.5 Stars

Miss Jane Fairfield can’t do anything right.  When she’s in company, she always says the wrong thing—and rather too much of it.  No matter how costly they are, her gowns fall on the unfortunate side of fashion.  Even her immense dowry can’t save her from being an object of derision.

And that’s precisely what she wants.  She’ll do anything, even risk humiliation, if it means she can stay unmarried and keep her sister safe.

Mr. Oliver Marshall has to do everything right.  He’s the bastard son of a duke, raised in humble circumstances—and he intends to give voice and power to the common people.  If he makes one false step, he’ll never get the chance to accomplish anything.  He doesn’t need to come to the rescue of the wrong woman.  He certainly doesn’t need to fall in love with her.  But there’s something about the lovely, courageous Jane that he can’t resist…even though it could mean the ruin of them both.

This series is so addictive.  I started reading The Heiress Effect because I needed an e-book to keep me occupied until I could get back to the paperback I was reading.  But before I knew it, I was picking up my e-reader every chance I had, and just breezing through this book, page after page, chapter after chapter.  By the time I finally put it down, on account of I needed to sleep if I didn't want to be a cranky co-worker, I was already about 69% complete.

The second book to Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister series was equally as enjoyable and readily likable as the first.  There were, perhaps a few things about it that made me cringe, which was why I found that The Duchess War is still my favorite so far, but all-in-all, I pretty much loved, almost everything about The Heiress Effect.

If the first book showcased how much I loved the hero, Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, I believe that this second book showcased one of the most readily loved and awesome heroines in an historical romance I've read.  Jane Fairfield, who can't do anything right, was superbly created as a character you love to love; in fact, I would love to be as open and "in your face" as Jane is, and not give another two-cent care about what anyone thinks.  I love that she's so aware of herself, and I also love that she's not just pretending to fall on the unfortunate side of society's expectations; she truly doesn't know how to behave properly as a lady, and simply chose to multiply her effects by ten so that no one in polite society would even have a clue as to how to respond to her, or further humiliate her, since she's doing the job so nicely herself.

In contrast, while I like Oliver Marshall, I can't say that I loved him all that much.  He's a good man, caring about his family, with a conflicting guilty conscience that makes for great character development and self-revelation.  I found it interesting that, while he's been fighting against the set standards of the aristocrats since he was young, he ended up slipping right into their games in his adulthood.  That even though he's still mentally fighting them and proclaiming how he would use their own games against them so that he could gain power and win, he's still playing their games and compromising his own beliefs.

Oliver came as a point of frustration for me on several occasions throughout the book, probably because, while I sort of understood his excuses and reasons... well, frankly, I didn't really understand them.  If that makes any sense.  For such an intelligent man, he was rather slow on the uptake sometimes.

Meanwhile, there were some other characters that, while I didn't have any major problems with them, I did find some actions frustrating, and found myself wishing we would just get back to Jane and progressing her story line.  Jane's sister, Emily's tangent was cute, but rather dull; however, the relationship between the sisters and their uncle, really DID put into perspective the hardships young girls went through when faced with a guardian like Titus Fairfield, what with all the quack medical experts he paraded into his home to "cure" Emily of her condition.

Truthfully, I would have liked to get more into the girls' family back story about their father and mother, and how they came to be situated with such a holier-than-thou, stubborn, set-in-his-ways, and irritatingly dangerous uncle like Titus Fairfield.  Such a "I'm your guardian and you'll do what I say because I know better than young girls, even against the presentation of logic."  His racist imaginings and snap judgments at the end of the book were also unbecoming, and I would have liked to see him get his comeuppance, though I know it's probably not a necessary thread to explore.

In contrast to Jane's sister, I actually found myself quite in like of Oliver's youngest sister, Free.  She's fiery and independent and intelligent, and I can't wait to get to her story in Book #4 of the series!

Finally, I'd say that a lot of the frustrations I had found in this book were quashed rather easily.  Aside from our heroine, Jane, I also found the ending parts about Oliver's aunt Frederica a rather touching instance--we will recall the Marshall sibling's Aunt Freddy, as Serena's elder sister from the prequel novella, The Governess Affair, whom, suffering from a tragedy, has been unable to leave the confines of her home for almost the entirety of her adult life, all the way into old age.


Anyway...  I could spout things I love about this book all I want.  I could say a lot of things and even points of frustration.  But ultimately, The Heiress Effect was simply an enjoyable book, and one of the few favorites I have read this year in 2017.

Booklikes-opoly | Roll #17!

Booklikes-opoly

hosted by Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue

@ Booklikes, the book blogging social platform

Ani's BL-opoly Summary Page

After an exciting Memorial Day Weekend with extra rolls and all, I finally finished reading all of my books!  It took a little longer than I'd been expecting--all the books I chose were easy books to read, and enjoyable in their own ways.  But then I started reading The Heiress Effect--NOT a BLopoly book! Gasp!!--for whatever reason and got sucked into it, so Once a Thief got set aside; so I made myself finish it before starting a new book, because I wanted to roll again.  =P

So events were as follows:

Memorial Weekend Extra Rolls:

• Roll #14:  Rolled a 7 and landed on Tomorrowland 33.
• Read Obsidian Prey for 351 pages = $3.00, increasing bank to $64.00.
• Obsidian Prey is tagged as 'science fiction' on GR, and the setting is in space.
• Click on book title above to see my review
• Roll #15:  Rolled a five and landed on Frontierland 1.
• Read The Rome Affair for 284 pages = $3.00, increasing bank to $70.00.
• I finished this book a day after my Roll #16.1 book, Rumor Has It.
• Title of book begins with a letter found in the word 'Frontier.'
• There will be a review forthcoming that I think I'm just going to bundle together with the last book in the series.  As far as my thoughts on this book, though, I unfortunately didn't enjoy it as much as I'd been hoping--things could have been better.

Regular Game Play Rolls:

• Roll #16.1:  Rolled a Double 5 = 10, and landed on Main Street 10.
• Read Rumor Has It for 281 pages = $3.00, increasing bank to $67.00.
• I finished this book a day before my Roll #15 book, The Rome Affair.
• Book's setting is in a small town in the U.S.A.
• Click book titled to see review.
• Roll #16.2:  Rolled a 5 and landed on Luxury Tax.
• Read Once a Thief for 326 pages = $3.00, increasing bank to $73.00.
• There is a character who is a millionaire/billionaire.
• There will be a review forthcoming that I want to bundle into a duology series review with the second book, Always a Thief.  Truth be told, this book wasn't that great and I wish it hadn't dragged as much; but since there are so many loose ends, I know I'm going to end up reading the second book--especially since I badly want to post a review titled 'Once a Thief, Always a Thief.'  Priorities, you know...

Since the last game space I had landed on was Luxury Tax, I will move forward from there.


And now Roll #17:

 

Rolling a 6, I landed on BL Square (20), which requires me to roll another die in order to pick one of twelve BL Square Tasks.

Hmm... well, I'm not sure what Monkey's doing...  But I DO know, after uploading this photo, that I've left the right-hand side of the board a little empty, maybe erasing the previous roll stats a little too early... and forgetting to write in my roll date, which is 6/6.  Let's pretend I did.

Anyway...  Moving along...

I rolled a 12 for the BL Task:  "Let the wheel decide - spin the wheel to pick your next "land" and choose any property in the land for your next book!"

Here's a confession:  I've embedded the BL Wheel Decide into my own blog for easy access.  And every time I happen upon my BL-opoly Summary Page to update my progress, I'll scroll to the bottom of the page and spin the wheel... just to see and hear it spin.  I've done this on several occasions because it makes me smile; so imagine how ecstatic I got when I realized I actually got to spin it for real!

Is that strange?

Anyway, as seen above, we've spun the wheel and ended up on Paradise Pier, which is actually really great luck because I've got a whole long list of possible books for all three game squares.  The hard part was actually trying to decide which property to choose and which book I really felt like reading at the moment... and those choices probably amounted to about ten different possible books.

So... I let my nifty Dice Roller App decide, by changing the die to a D3, then assigning the numbers 1, 2, and 3 to each square in order, and letting it roll.  I'm not picturing it here, because it's inconsequential since I was actually quite relieved it gave me a '1', for Paradise Pier 28--if I had ended up rolling a '2' for Paradise Pier 30, it would have been another headache of choosing a book because I've got about 30+ possibilities.

I've landed on Paradise Pier 28 before, and found my first 5-Star Read of 2017, thus leading me to decide to choose the Brothers Sinister series for another challenge that started this month in June.

Long story short:

 

I will be reading the third Brothers Sinister book, The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan, a book that is set during Victoria's reign, opening up in 1867.  Truthfully, for some reason, I'm not looking forward to this book as much as I'd been the previous book, The Heiress Effect (which, as stated above, I successfully devoured in less than 24 hours, thus side-tracking my progress on Once a Thief for a couple days).

But I made a commitment to finish reading Brothers Sinister for the Can You Read a Series in a Month? Challenge, and so why not make it count for two different challenges?

The Countess Conspiracy is 318 pages, for a reward of $3.00, which will bring my Bank to $76.00, upon completion.

Let's not forget to move Teddy Bear to the proper game square!


Current Bank:   $73.00

• Roll #1 (4/15):  A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn / 345 pages = $3.00
• Roll #2 (4/17):  The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #3 (4/21):  False Memory by Dean Koontz // Donated 200 pages ($2.00) to the Jail Library
• Roll #4 (4/23):  Rolled three doubles, ended up in Jail. / Total of $4.00 Earned
• #4.1:  Schoolgirl by DAZAI Osamu / 50 pages = $1.00
• #4.2:  Don't Look Away by Leslie A. Kelly / 323 pages = $3.00
• #4.3:  300 pages of sentence to be served // 332 pages read total
• Storming the Castle by Eloisa James // 138 pages served
• False Memory by Dean Koontz // 194 pages served
• Roll #5 (4/29):  The Duchess War by Courtney Milan / 271 pages = $3.00
• Roll #6.1 (4/29):  SKIPPED
• Roll #6.2 (4/29):  Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz / 352 pages = $3.00
• Roll #7 (4/29):  Backwoods by Jill Sorenson / 378 pages = $3.00
• Roll #8 (4/29):  Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler / 336 pages = $3.00
• Roll #9 (5/9):  The Thing About Love by Julie James / 380 pages = $3.00
• Roll #10.1 (5/11):  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton / 468 pages = $5.00
• Roll #10.2 (5/11):  Two Guys Detective Agency by Stephanie Bond / 255 pages = $3.00
• Roll #11 (5/18):  The London Deception by Addison Fox / 282 pages = $3.00
• Roll #12 (5/20):  BL Task - Double rewards on next read & share w/ a friend / No book read.
• Roll #13 (5/22):  Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts / 402 pages = $5.00
• Roll #14 (5/27):  Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle / 351 pages = $3.00
• Roll #15 (5/27):  The Rome Affair by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.1 (5/27):  Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis / 281 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.2 (5/27):  Once a Thief by Kay Hooper / 326 pages = $3.00

Can You Read a Series In A Month? June 2017 Challenge

Can You Read A Series In A Month? Challenge Sign Up
hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading and Berls @ Fantasy is more fun

I will definitely be participating in this reading challenge again, as I really enjoyed it last year in August when I read Maggie Shayne's Brown and de Luca series, enjoying it so much that I pretty much breezed through the entire thing before the month even really got started!

Unfortunately, with a lot of things going on in real life and in my bookish life, there is a distinct possibility I will fail this challenge.  HOWEVER, this year is the year of The Laid Back Reading Plans, wherein I just relax and read when I want to read and try not to stress too hard.  Meanwhile, this is also the year I decided to do what I can to cut down the number of series I've started already, so I'm hoping that this challenge will help me further my goals.

Also, with Booklikes-opoly still ongoing, depending on what my rolls and game tasks present... well that will be the difficult part.


The rules are pretty simple:  Read or finish one series in one month.  This time it is the month of June!  It can be a series you've already started, but there must be at least 3 published books that you have not yet read.  So if you want to read a trilogy and you haven't started, it'll count.  If you want to read a four book series and you've already read the first book, it'll count, too.

For more information and more answers to questions about the rules, refer to the sign up post link above.

My Series Pick

Brothers Sinister by Courtney Milan

Completed Reviews: (updated on 6/28/2017)
1.  The Duchess War -- Read Pre-June 2017
2.  The Heiress Effect -- Read 06/04/2017
3.  The Countess Conspiracy -- Read 06/07/2017
4.  The Suffragette Scandal -- Read 06/20/2017
novella 0.5:  The Governess Affair -- Already Read
novella 1.5:  A Kiss for Midwinter -- Read Pre-June 2017
novella 4.5:  Talk Sweetly to Me -- Read 06/26/2017

*Click on series title for GR series page. // Click on book title for my review.

My Backup Series

Mordecai Young by Maggie Shayne

Ramblings

I read The Duchess War for another challenge, Booklikes-opoly, for a game task that required reading a book either taking place during Victoria's reign (1837 - 1901), or a book tagged steampunk.  Since I don't really read steampunk, I decided on a Victorian romance.  And I absolutely loved it!  Needless to say, I'd really love to finish this series!  There are also two more novellas I need to finish for this series; since we don't have to read novellas or short stories for this challenge, I'm going to try to read A Kiss for Midwinter before the challenge actually starts to get it done, because it would bother me too much to skip over books and shorts and novellas in a series.  Talk Sweetly to Me, thankfully comes after the fourth book in the series, so I can always try to get it read anytime after June if I don't make it in time.

I had briefly considered reading another Maggie Shayne series based upon my luck with this author so far.  But I will use Mordecai Young as a back-up series, even though I have a feeling (and know for sure) that I probably won't need one, unless I absolutely lose interest in Brothers Sinister.