Two Bloggers One Series ~ Fractured by Karin Slaughter

So it has taken us a while to circle back to Will Trent as we both were not huge fans of book one. We figured we would give this one a try to see if we wanted to continue. This one was surprisingly better than book one. After you see what I have to say go on over to Booker T's Farm and see what Barb thought.  

When Atlanta housewife Abigail Campano comes home unexpectedly one afternoon, she walks into a nightmare. A broken window, a bloody footprint on the stairs and, most devastating of all, the horrifying sight of her teenage daughter lying dead on the landing, a man standing over her with a bloody knife. The struggle which follows changes Abigail's life forever.

When the local police make a misjudgement which not only threatens the investigation but places a young girl's life in danger, the case is handed over to Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Apprehension Team - paired with detective Faith Mitchell, a woman who resents him from their first meeting.

But in the relentless heat of a Georgia summer, Will and Faith realise that they must work together to find the brutal killer who has targeted one of Atlanta's wealthiest, most privileged communities - before it's too late...

So I wasn't a huge fan of book one, so it's been a while since Barb and I read that one as I think we just put if off, but it was time to bite the bullet. Surprisedly I liked this one a lot more. 

It starts off with the action as a woman walks in on a man kneeling over a body, she has to fight him and ends up killing the intruder. She finds out the girl killed (besides the dead man) isn't her daughter and so her daughter is missing. 

Will Trent has to work this case with a young female officer and he is not thrilled. He is not in the good graces of the department because of what happened with his previous assignment. 

The family of the missing teen is a bit of a mess even before what happened and this is not helping and then add in a lot of other things and it ended up being a nice fast paced police procedural.

Will Trent is growing on me, he is different as he is dyslexic and so it's harder for him to read and do his reports. I thought his quirks strange at first but learning more about him is helping. His fiance wasn't in this one much which helped as I am not a fan of hers and I think it hindered some of my liking the first book, so hopefully going forward I will continue to enjoy the series.

4 stars 

Week in Review #107

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

First week of December is down and I really don't have anything to say about it. Watched some movies, read some books. The weather has been decent for the most part.

Have a great week and happy reading.

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of Blood Rites

Books I have added

• Copycat Conundrum - I enjoyed the first book in this middle grade spy novel about a group of interesting middle graders recruited to be spies because adults don't pay attention to kids. :)

Books I Read

• Starry Night - This Christmas book from Debbie Macomber was okay but not a new favorite.
• Christmas at Shelter Inn - This Christmas one though from RaeAnne Thayne was great and heartwarming!
• The Christmas You Found Me - So different from the authors other series and has the romance kind of backwards as it's a marriage of convivence to help the mans little girl and then comes love. Has some very sad moments but so sweet!
• I'll Be Home For Mischief -  One of my favorite series but in this one Holly sort of annoyed me so this one didn't get as high a rating as the others in the series, but it was still great as I love all the side characters!
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - That is my fun copy of this book that I found and the story was cute but way different than the show we have all seen. :)
• The Night Before Christmas - I am participating in a Very Vintage Christmas and this one along with Rudolph fit prompts. This edition from 1998 was fun but a lot of things going on in each picture. :)

Currently Reading

• A Christmas Carol - This is a reread but I am listening to it with the narrator Jim Dale who is amazing and one of my favorite narrators. :) 
• A Merry Little Murder Plot - I love this series and need to get going with this one before my library time runs out! I am only 7% into it. 

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Continuing our read of The Dresden Files and enjoying it so much! I love this series so this has been a fun reread for me. Once your done here go on over and see what Barb thought at Booker T's Farm. 

For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there is something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film's producer believes he's the target of a sinister entropy curse, but it's the women around him who are dying, in increasingly spectacular ways.

Harry is doubly frustrated because he got involved with this bizarre mystery only as a favor to Thomas, his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't quite figure out, until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas' oversexed vampire family. Harry is about to discover that Thomas' family tree has been hiding a shocking secret; a revelation that will change Harry's life forever.

Harry is as broke as usual and we first have him passing on a litter of puppies to someone, and one accidently gets left behind so that part is kind of cute as he has this little puppy through all the chaos. Then Thomas ask him for some help and he really doesn't want too but he needs the money. This has him going undercover at an adult film studio! There is a curse surrounding the studio and the guy that Thomas wants him to help (can't remember his name).

Of course things get a bit more complicated than a simple curse and we find out more about Thomas and why he helps Dresden instead of killing him like his sister or his entire family for that matter. While trying to protect Thomas from his own sister some revelations come to light that will change Dresden's life forever.

Okay so I really need to review these straight after I read them as I can't recall a lot of things now but it was really an awesome listen. It's always fun going on an adventure with Dresden and a lot of fun with him being very uncomfortable in an adult film studio! I also love his new puppy because even though he keeps saying he won't be keeping him I know he will. His only surprise will be that it's not going to be a small puppy for long!

I just love this series and it's just as fun the second time around!

5 stars

Week in Review #106

 How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

I can't believe it's December 1st! Where has the year gone? I am not a huge fan of the holidays so I will be excited for January 1st to get here. :) Also ready for Spring already as everyone knows I don't like Winter time. 

For those who celebrated Thanksgiving, hope you had a great one! I totally ate to much and still eating leftovers. :) 

I have watched a few Christmas movies trying to get the holly jolly mood but I am more of a Grinch. :) I watched a movie called The Christmas Mystery (love the original title...lol) from 2014, I liked it probably because it had minimal Christmas...unlike the Hallmark Christmas movies which I have watched a few Jingle Bell Run, it's sort of like Amazing Race, but holiday themed and a movie not reality tv. Also watched Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, even though I live in Missouri I am not a Chiefs fan, but it started Tyler Hynes so that is all I needed to get to watch that movie...lol.

Have a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

Nothing!

Books I Read

• North From Rome - Spy Thriller set in the 50's and it was okay.
• Blood Rites - Reread and just as good as the first time!
• The Blue Castle - This is my second L.M. Montgomery books and I really liked it. 
• Bigfoot Hunters - This was a decent creature feature horror.

Currently Reading

• Christmas at the Shelter Inn - I have really liked what I have read from this author, especially her Christmas books so starting on December right. :) 

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Week in Review #105

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Totally forgot to post last week as last weekend was a bit hectic as our car wasn't working well and so we were messing with it, but it's better now, not great but drives.  

This past week got a bit cold and I am not liking it! I am counting down the days till Spring! Today's high is 70 and Monday's high is 48, what is up with that! I like things about this time of year like pumpkin spice everything and eating turkey, etc. but I do not like the cold weather. I know some would rather be cold that hot but I am the opposite.

Watched my first  Christmas movie yesterday and I can say I wasn't that impressed it was more drama than Christmas. I was hoping for a cute Christmas story but that is not what I got. It's called My Dad's Christmas Date, it was on Netflix. 

Have a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

I got a Secret Elf gift! :)

• Be Still My Bleating Heart - Loved this series but the last book was just never coming on audiobook, so had it on my bookish wishlist and now I can finally finish up the series. :) 
• Poached - I love this series and want to collect the books, so I am excited to get this one! 

I had an awesome Secret Elf. :) 

Books I Read

Two weeks worth of reading. :)

• Skandar and the Skeleton Curse - My least favorite of this series, I thought it was to long and I also don't think there should be kissing in middle grade books. Leave the relationship stuff for teen books! 
• Speculation in Sin - This is the latest book the Below Stairs/Kat Holloway series and I really enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite historical mystery series.
• Mr. Lemoncello and the Fantabulous Finale - Sadly this is the last book in the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series. I loved it but it was a bit bittersweet knowing it was the end to a fun series. 
• Death at a Scottish Christmas - The latest book in the Scottish Isles series and a fantastic cozy series, love it!
• Love and Other Conspiracies - A bit Millennial, but I could over look it as it was a really cute romance. 
• Bird's Aren't Real - Non-fiction about a conspiracy theory and it sort of makes light of the conspiracy. It was okay at first but I really think it should have been a novella as it got a bit boring.
• Fractured - The second book in the Will Trent series and I liked this one a bit more than book one so that is good. :)  

Currently Reading

• North From Rome - Spy thriller, I am over the halfway mark and it's not bad. 
• Blood Rites - Continuing the reread of this series and loving it. :) 

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Week in Review #104

 

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great week. :) It's been rainy and chilly here and I swear ever body part that has arthritis in it is aching, so that is not fun but other than that I am doing pretty good.

I read a lot of books in October and so been kind of chilling a bit watching Youtube, etc so didn't read as much this past week.

Have a great week and happy reading!

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of Death Mask

Books I have added

Nothing!

Books I Read

• A Grave Robbery - This is the 9th book in the Veronica Speedwell series and I must say that I am just not a big of a fan of this series as I use to be. I don't like what the author has done with Veronica, she is annoying. 
• Glory in Death - This is the 2nd book in the In Death series and I liked this one more than the first book, still not huge fans of Eve and Roarke yet but hopefully that will change. 

Currently Reading

• Murder in the Scottish Highlands - I didn't read much on this one but what I have read has been decent. I am 10% into the eARC.
• Mr. Lemoncello's Fantabulous Finale - I didn't read a lot of this one either but I am enjoying it. I am 11% into the eARC.
• Skandar and the Skeleton Curse - I just started this audiobook last night. It's the 4th book in the Skandar series and I am curiouss to see what is going to happen. At 1.8x speed I have about 7 hours left.

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Death Mask by Jim Butcher

We are back with a Dresden File review. This is a reread for me but I am happy to be dragging Barb along with me in reading this series. After checking out my review go on over and see what Barb though since this is her first time reading this one!

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for:

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards...

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice...

The missing Shroud of Turin...

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semi-vampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.

The more you get into this series the better it gets as the more trouble Harry gets into. Things have been building up and Harry has gotten himself into some serious trouble since he killed a vampire and some of her followers.

Now he has to duel with a vampire to end the war between vampires and wizards! It wont end up good for Harry because there is not much of a way he will win.

Father Vincent needs Harry to find the Shroud of Torin and he is not the only one who is looking for it. Harry meets some extremely nasty Demons who wants the Shroud and don't' mind killing Harry.

There is never just one thing going on with Harry. The Knights of the Cross are around to lend a hand and his friend Micheal wants him to stay away from looking for the Shroud because of all the bad things that are going to happen but of course that wont happen. His ex-girlfriend turned vampire is back, but she only came back to tell Harry what she was going to do and it involves moving away. Now that she is here though she lends a hand to Harry when he gets in trouble. There is also some murderer going around collecting body parts and of course there has to be links to Harry.

Harry doesn't always go looking for trouble but trouble is always looking for Harry.

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than any of the others in the series, I think mainly because with each book you are getting more and more of the world building and the different creatures that in the stories. The consequences for Harry's actions in previous books are really starting to heat up with Duke Ortega coming to announce that he must duel Harry. The author does such a wonderful job of putting things all together to make an extremely interesting world.

5 Stars