P. Bovalino says: Archangel's Viper was ok but I knew to skim half a paragraph when they started bickering and so that helped alot.. so thanks everyone.
Douglas C. Meeks says: Finished The Mountain King: Dragon Shifter Urban Fantasy Romance (Dragon, Stone & Steam Book 1) and it was good (only 1 real instance of TSTL) and I think I will grab the next one The Silver Spider: Dragon Shifter Urban Fantasy Romance (Dragon, Stone & Steam Book 2) it was entertaining, I pulled another one out of my TBR earlier Bite Somebody which had good reviews but I found to be stupid and idiotic (could have been my mood) and it was a DNF
HappyBookWorm says: Doug, oh, wow, that was the cruelest cut. (Sam Spade)
My favorite line in Tea with the Black Dragon was when 'he snaked down the street'. Such a way with words. I've read most if not all of what R. A. MacAvoy has written and a lot of it was hit or miss but every book had something. My favorite book overall (just from idle thinking) would probably be The Grey Horse. But some of my favorite parts that she has written were in The Book of Kells and The Damiano Trilogy: Damiano, Damiano's Lute, and Raphael. She's like Terry Pratchett in a way - you are reading along, and bam, there's an insight.
I never cared for Lens of the World although I read the trilogy, and I doubt I'd ever re-read the Damiano books again. They are a little more intense than I'd like to read right now. By the way, the angel Raphael is a character. One of my favorite characters is a girl who may be a slave. ETA and a dog.
I just checked and darn if I don't have the second Black Dragon book in ebook. I read it (several) decades ago, guess I will re-read it again. My yellowed paperback has very, very tiny print. Twisting the Rope (Black Dragon)
*****************spoilers about the Mountain King *****************************************
The main character and two of her daughters armed themselves and set out to beat up their enemies. Please. They had four fully grown dragons who would adore to fight their battles. It bothered me that the mother would not use a little common sense, and I also wondered that she would expose her girls to danger. On the other hand I could see her being not used to having someone to depend on - not wanting herself or her girls to rely on others - but it still bothered me. It was still a good book and I am ready to read book 2. I liked the world building - kind of like the lawless American west with coal mines and dragons.
Douglas C. Meeks says: happybookworm - Even though I said Sam Spade I was really thinking about Travis McGee written by John D. MacDonald (much better writing than Sam Spade) but he seemed to spend a lot of time beat up or wounded in his books. His books ruined me for the whole genre since they were so superior to anything else of its kind, another writer who took his own life sadly.
re: Mountain King/Silver Spider - I love the stories but there is a difference between "fierce & independent" and "just kinda stupid" and in the second book I liked the story even more and the ending was disappointing to a revenge junkie like me When you spend almost the whole book convincing what an evil SOB her new "lord" is and then trying to make me think he is actually an OK guy in the last few pages to help your plot ruins me for future books a bit
Douglas C. Meeks says: CORRECTION: John D. MacDonald did NOT take his own life, now I got to research to figure out who I was thinking of now
Douglas C. Meeks says: I think I was reading thew works of both of these gentlemen at the same time which may account for my confusion since I DID love the Travis McGee stories but the author that took his own life was the writer of the Conan the Barbarian tales - Robert E. Howard
Jean says: Anyone ever read the Lunar rampage series? I picked it up from the library and love them. Been looking for someone to discuss the book with, but they're not all that popular.
Oh, and does anyone have a rec for a paranormal romance with angels? Or really any kind of man who is otherworldly and feels mystical? I'd like there to be an actual plot too. Not just a flat out romance with nothing else going on
Douglas C. Meeks says: jean - First 2 books of Guild Hunter's
Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter Book 1) Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter Book 2)
the rest are excellent but these first 2 (maybe first 3) fall into that description you gave.
Tiger Lily says: Jean, A good series is The Guardians by Meljean Brook. It starts with Demon Angel (The Guardians, Book 1) The first book is good but you really have to pay attention because so much happens as the author builds the world. Each book in the series is about a different couple but the characters from other books reappear. It is also a complete series.
Douglas C. Meeks says: @tiger Lily - re: The Guardians by Meljean Brook - somehow I have never read these books, really that good in comparison to her steampunk novels? (I mean I am a guy but The Kraken King (Iron Seas Book 4) has to be one of the most romantic books I ever read and Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter Book 1) has to have one of the most romantic endings I ever read ) LOL
Douglas C. Meeks says: After posting above in my very short list of "soaring romance" other than Grace Graven, is anyone else writing stuff like the 2 I posted above? I am still overwhelmed by the greatness of The Kraken King Special mention
Tiger Lily says: Doug, I agree about Angel's Blood (awesome ending!) but I liked the Iron Duke a bit more than I liked the Kraken King. The Guardians series books, most of which I really liked, is very different in my opinion, especially the first book which sets up the world. It was one where a vast amount of time was covered and the plot was very involved. There were a lot of shades of grey in that world. I really liked the way I had to focus when I read the book and the characters were a couple who were very complex, especially the heroine. I don't think that anyone would like the Guardians simply because they liked Brook's writing in the Iron Seas series because they are so different, but if you like complex characters with a definite star-crossed lovers theme then you might like the first one.
HappyBookWorm says: Zsadist in the Black Dagger Brotherhood is a lovely romantic hero, and it is a sweet love story.
Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 3)
Another one I loved: Oracle's Moon (Elder Races Book 4)
I read a lot of historical romance and there are a number of fantastic love stories in that genre as well.
Traveling Reader says: I finally read a book I have had in my TBR pile forever. 4 Gigs of Trouble I purchased it almost 5 years ago, but it is also on KU. School teacher and former Marine take a class to DC for a field trip, finds a dying man--and a load of trouble. It was enjoyable, definitely a 4-star read for me, based on the discussions earlier in this thread about ranking.
Aussie Girl says: Finished Archangel's Viper. (Link thingy not working, sorry). The sniping and snark didn't worry me overmuch although I did think the first half of the book was a bit slow. I did like the resolution though, so gave it a 3.5 stars. I wonder how many more books are left in this series... and if she will continue the world on in a spin off. Anyone in the know?
Macawesome says: When I want a romantic ending, the best love declaration I've ever read is in Summers at Castle Auburn. (Fantasy Romance) Makes me swoon. And I'm generally not a swooner.
LAB says: I finished The Hunt (A Devil's Isle Novel) and overall I liked it. But for me this series is good, not great. It just doesn't wow me. I'll keep reading because it is an interesting story. Her writing grates on me a little because she does this thing with commas everywhere for pauses and instead of using conjunctions in a sentence, which although is grammatically correct gets annoying when it is done in every other sentence.
Not sure what I will read next. I'm looking forward to The Scot Beds His Wife (Victorian Rebels) coming out tomorrow.
LAB says: With folks talking about romance books with epic romantic endings...I have to mention Royally Screwed (The Royally Series Book 1). And I usually do not like this type of book - contemporary/first person POV, present tense - everything I usually hate. But I love this series. And the ending to this first book was amazing and had me thinking about it days later.
foxtail_too says: LAB, I love that series too, especially the first book.
Lulu says: @aussie Girl, it's not known how many more books will be in the Guild Hunter series. Nalini said recently that there would be as many as there need to be. OK, then. She has a contract for 2 more which would take care of Aodhan and Illium but I get the impression as well that there might be another Elena/Raphael book and she mentioned something about maybe writing something about the Legion. So, at this point, 2 more for sure. I could see 2 more after that. There won't be any more GH novellas as she said the cast is too small.
Lulu says: I'm going to miss you all a lot!! Looks like it's finally happening.
The Amazon forums are retiring October 6, 2017. "Amazon would like to thank the members of this community for contributing to the discussion forums. As we grow and evolve, we encourage you to explore Goodreads Groups for books and Spark for other ways to engage with your interests."
LAB says: This is so sad!
There is also the goodreads group that was started. Doug & Melindeeloo are the moderators there. We've got 61 members so far.
frisco ready to read says: I am on Goodreads in the event but I will still keep plugging away on this one until I can't. Considering the amount of mis-information that goes around I am hoping this is another spoof.
If today wasn't a good day to read a good book ... you never know when stuff will happen. Not so grave but I had over a foot of snow in my neighborhood overnight and trees fell over from rain and snow mix. Thankfully just hit the ground and not the house or cars. I think I will re-read Bite Me (The Pride Series Book 9) ... enough humor to distract me.
GinSengTea says: I am usually one of the lurkers, but I did managed to join the GR group.
GinSengTea says: I just read through Archangel's Viper twice. It was an average read in a series filled with outstanding stories. I would give it 3 stars. Like someone else already mentioned I like the way it wraps up several different story lines. For me, it's not as impactful as Archangel's Heart. But it's still a good read.
fogarty says: tiger lily
wow i am with doug never read Guardians however the kraken king was awesome and i love how she published them... even though i wanted the whole thing at once it made it more interesting.
fogarty says: what about the ending in burn for me by andrews, all the carnations?
D. Politis says: I already joined the Facebook group and the Goodreads group for this thread. I can't lose contact with you guys, we have such great book discussions here.
D. Politis says: I just read the new JD Robb book with Eve and Roarke called Secrets in Death. It was good but I felt like there were a lot of plot holes and the author was just throwing a new book out there without much thought. It's definitely NOT one of the best books in the series.
There was a very touching conversation between Summerset and Roarke that was the highlight of the book for me. Also, Summerset talking to the cat Galahad before he goes on vacation was pretty funny. And there is a scene with purple boots that made me laugh out loud.Secrets in Death
fogarty says: thanks lab and fox now i have to add another book to my pile lol i am not one clicking though nope i am not
That forum was really busy. I hope it continues here too. I only did about a weeks worth of posts from there and several were left out since they were personal discussion.