Challenge Corner discussion

All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party... and to feed.

Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining - and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead... or undead.

Will start this soon

I'll finally be starting this one this weekend.

Chapters 1-8
(view spoiler)[
This is interesting so far. The whole backstory for the world is neat and I liked how the paranormal creatures revealed themselves to humans. I'm enjoying Rachel's character, it's nice to follow a heroine who's not all powerful yet and that she doesn't know everything. I'm interested to see what will happen with the whole her former employer wants to kill her thing.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 9-16
(view spoiler)[
I don't understand what Rachel's problem with Ivy is. She hasn't done anything to her and it seems like Rachel is just being prejudiced against Ivy because she's a vampire. I wonder what Trent is as he's clearly not human.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 17-24
(view spoiler)[
Rachel getting captured and stuck as a mink was kind of funny. Trent was an absolute jerk and I really hope he gets what's coming to him. Rachel managing to find someone else that was stuck in animal form was crazy. And what is this crazy dog thing that has shown up in the library?
(hide spoiler)]

Finished this one.

Chapters 25-34
(view spoiler)[
Damn, it sucks that they didn't get Trent in the end. I really wanted him to pay for what he did to Rachel. And I still have no clue what the guy is.
(hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed this one and definitely need to pick up the next book.

starting this

Chapter 1 - 7 (view spoiler)[ I think I might have found a new favourite series. The pacing is great. I like a character who is down on their luck and later rise up. And uhm that scene with Ivy.... Is Ivy gonna be the main love interest or is it someone else? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8 - 16 (view spoiler)[ ugh there are a lot of things we don't know. Like why does Ivy went out of her way to protect Rachel. And where the hell is the love interest??? I need me some romance. Could it be Trent the sleazy guy?? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 17 - 25 (view spoiler)[ So boring. Sneaking into Trent's place twice and the rat fight (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 25 - Chapter 29 (view spoiler)[ I really dont like Nick as love interest . Trent would be a good love interest. I like em boys bad (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I am going to be seriously pissed off if I had to read about them sneaking into Trent's place again. STOP it STOP

But it does look like Trent could be a love interest, what with him stealing Rachel's ring (hide spoiler)]

Finally started

27% (view spoiler)[
So far I’m enjoying this. I like the world building and how she wants to get out of her contract and how she gets the wishes. (hide spoiler)]

52% (view spoiler)[
This is going downhill a little for me. Hopefully it picks back up soon. But overall the world is still interesting. (hide spoiler)]

73%(view spoiler)[
The part where she was given the carrot and drugged then tried to escape was intense. This is interesting but still not holding my interest too much. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[
I kind of had a hard time with this. I liked it but didn’t love it. I just had a hard time focusing and being pulled into the story. It wasn’t bad overall though.
(hide spoiler)]

Ch. 1-7
(view spoiler)[
A bit slow to start but got moving once Rachel made the decision to quit IS. I'm enjoying Jenks, & Keasley looks like being an interesting neighbour. Rachel is OK, if fairly slow on the uptake (Ivy has provided her the perfect place for her protection & she hasn't twigged?), & her magic is pretty clunky. Not sure what part Ivy is to play after the close call. (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 8-14
(view spoiler)[
I can't say I'm warming to Rachel. She's ungrateful to Ivy who is making a big effort to protect her, & she seems to be jumping to a lot of conclusions regarding Trent, who she really knows nothing about. I'm still enjoying Jenks. Trent's origins are intriguing. (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 15-21
(view spoiler)[
Hmm! Well, I can't say Rachel didn't deserve to be caught, what did she think would happen? She's lucky she wasn't put down immediately. This section got bogged down in a whole bunch of nothing much, except Trent is turning out to be not such a nice guy. I guess I've got a rat fight ahead of me. (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 22-27
(view spoiler)[
Rachel has a fabulous friend in Ivy yet refuses to trust her, then spends 10 minutes with Nick & trusts him absolutely - she's an idiot. Keasley says she's become a leader which seems to me doubly dangerous for all her friends because she refuses to listen to any advice.

I agree with BabyLunLun, Trent would be a more interesting love interest than Nick, he's too wet despite his experience with Inderlanders. (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 28-end
(view spoiler)[
An interesting end, a bit all over the place & mostly unresolved. I never did warm to Rachel, who seems to have an odd sense of humour, if you could call it that. An easy enough read but I'm not sure whether I'll bother with the next book, despite having a couple on my shelves. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1-7: (view spoiler)[Not sure about this one yet still trying to keep an open mind and give it a fair chance. Rachel and Ivy both seem okay, the setup is fine as well but I feel like there is a spark missing. I have not fallen in love with any of the characters or the plot for that matter, yet. The pixy Jenks is funny though. All three of them quitting IS was unexpected but I like the new living arrangement, Rachel finding all the stuff she needs so easily though is quite suspicious. I am wondering if there'd be a romance between her and Ivy (hide spoiler)]

Anyone wanna do a series thread for this book?

Catsalive wrote: "Ch. 22-27

Rachel has a fabulous friend in Ivy yet refuses to trust her, then spends 10 minutes with Nick & trusts him absolutely - she's an idiot. Keasley says she's become a leader which seems to..."

🤣🤣🤣 yay Team Trent

Uhh what do you mean by " too wet "here?

BabyLunLun wrote: "Anyone wanna do a series thread for this book?"

I will! I liked the first one so I want to continue the series. When works for you?

Melanie wrote: "BabyLunLun wrote: "Anyone wanna do a series thread for this book?"

I will! I liked the first one so I want to continue the series. When works for you?"

Awesome!! I am good with any dates

BabyLunLun wrote: "Melanie wrote: "BabyLunLun wrote: "Anyone wanna do a series thread for this book?"

I will! I liked the first one so I want to continue the series. When works for you?"

Awesome!! I am good with an..."

How about October 1st? If that works for you, I'll request it.

Melanie wrote: "BabyLunLun wrote: "Melanie wrote: "BabyLunLun wrote: "Anyone wanna do a series thread for this book?"

I will! I liked the first one so I want to continue the series. When works for you?"

Awesome!..."

XD I am good and now we have the in death series as well haha

but its good to read alternately between series.

BabyLunLun wrote: "Melanie wrote: "BabyLunLun wrote: "Melanie wrote: "BabyLunLun wrote: "Anyone wanna do a series thread for this book?"

I will! I liked the first one so I want to continue the series. When works for..."

Great, I'll ask for the thread to be updated to a series thread. And yeah, it's nice to not read too many in a row in the same series.

***************************************************************
***************************************************************

RESTARTING OCTOBER 1ST, 2023


*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************

Chapter 1-7: (view spoiler)[Not sure about this one yet still trying to keep an open mind and give it a fair chance. Rachel and Ivy both seem okay, the setup is fine as well but I feel like there is a spark missing. I have not fallen in love with any of the characters or the plot for that matter, yet. The pixy Jenks is funny though. All three of them quitting IS was unexpected but I like the new living arrangement, Rachel finding all the stuff she needs so easily though is quite suspicious. I am wondering if there'd be a romance between her and Ivy (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8-14: (view spoiler)[Ivy has been nothing but helpful to Rachel but she keeps suspecting her of wrongdoing and that's ungrateful as hell. I feel bad for Ivy. The mouse transmutation was funny, I like watching Rachel tinker with different spells. Jenks is as hilarious as ever and I absolutely love him tbh, he does go way and beyond to honor his contract and protect Rachel and Ivy, it's admirable. from that last interaction, I am not inclined to believe that Trent killed his secretary and something else entirely might be at play here (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 15-22: (view spoiler)[Ivy is so helpful to Rachel , she researched a way for Rachel to enter Trent's compound but I do feel like Rachel is a bit too hasty, she did not listen to anyone and went for Trent anyway. Her getting caught that way wasn't really shocking tbh. But i did feel bad when Jon started tormenting her. Sara Jane was so sweet to her and I hope Rachel saves her from Trent's clutches somehow. The rat fight was vicious and I am glad that Rachel finally managed to run away and escape her captivity (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 23-28: (view spoiler)[I am so annoyed with Rachel, she refuses to trust Ivy at all despite having all the reasons to and decides to trust Nick instantly despite Ivy warning her several times. The demon attack was so dangeorus and I am wondering if she'd make a deal with it afterall to make her wrist stop bleeding. The timing of the attack made me even more suspicious of Nick tbh, I can't seem to trust him. I am wondering what the new problem is that Nick was informed of on the call. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Hmmm a rather unsatisfying end I'd say, they only managed to get Francis and stop ONE shipment of the drugs. I must give it to Trent though, he came up with a pretty clever way to transport them. I did not like that Rachel was still not grateful to Ivy for everything she did for her in this book, she even got herself in trouble with the freaking FIB!! Now that Rachel has agreed to be their consultant, things might get interesting. Sill wasn't able to trust Nick until the very end and Trent's chapter hasn't closed as well (hide spoiler)]

Started book 2 tonight.



Chapters 1-7
(view spoiler)[
This case is interesting so far. I get why Rachel needs to help Sara Jane after the way SJ helped her while Rachel was stuck as a mink. I wonder what happened to Dan? Was he killed by the witch hunter? Someone else? What was Trent's involvement? So many questions.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 8-14
(view spoiler)[
Rachel really needs to find a way to keep her demon mark from attracting vampires. She has no defense against them, they can bespell her too easily. I don't like that Ivy went after Rachel like that, I have a feeling Piscary is behind it. You know, I'm not a huge fan of Rachel and Nick's romance. I just don't really like Nick all that much. And Rachel's father and Trent's father being friends is crazy. What were they working on together?
(hide spoiler)]

Finished book 2 tonight.



Chapters 15-21
(view spoiler)[
The fact Rachel is able to to use ley line magic so easily is interesting. There must be more to her that she doesn't know since everyone is surprised by it. She is so determined for Trent to be the Witch Hunter. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Trent is a good guy but it seems like too obvious a choice to make him the killer. And Rachel is really letting her hatred of him blind her to that and she's making stupid choices because of it.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 22-29
(view spoiler)[
So it was Piscary, that's not a complete surprise considering how creepy he was earlier. I wonder what it means now that Rachel is the demon's familiar? I can't imagine that will be a good thing.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1-7: (view spoiler)[Ok so another interesting case. I feel like I am liking Rachel better in this one, maybe we just got off on the wrong foot in the first book lol? However i do not like the sound of Nick being her boyfriend. I am shipping her with Ivy since forever. I am curious to learn more about how and why Dan disappeared. I feel bad for Sarah Jane, she was one of the few characters that I actually liked in the previous book and I really hope she doesn't suffer heartbreak in this one (hide spoiler)]

Just ordered the next book in the series which should be here sometime next week.

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ Ivy scares me with how violent she can be (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[Ah we finally met Rachel's mum. And uh oh what is up with Rachel's dad (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 22 (view spoiler)[Ha so piscary is the one (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ So is Treant still the bad guy or not (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8-13: (view spoiler)[Yikes Rachel being such an easy mark for the vampires is really making things dangerous for her. i am annoyed that thw FIB agents would not take her theory of Trent being connected to everyone that was murdered seriously and am hoping Glenn proves his worth by siding with Rachel through it all. I was liking Piscary quite a bit until he changed colors so suddenly. I am guessing Ivy attacked Rachel during sparring to teach her to say no. Still not a fan of Nick and Rachel's romance, there is something about him that doesn't sit well with me (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14-19: (view spoiler)[ARGH I don't get why Rachel doesn't see that Nick might have ulterior motives for being with her. I did not like the sound of him summoning a demon so frequenty and one might think Rachel would have a stronger reaction to finding that out than she actually did. Now that he has become her familiar, albeit accidentally, I am worried what it might mean for Rachel. It's also suspicious that Ivy hasn't made an appearance since Nick knocked her out. I am inclined to rule out Trent as a suspect simply because of the way Rachel has singled him out. I also feel like he is in the series for the long haul (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 20-24: (view spoiler)[So Trent's name was cleared and this new theory made so much more sense, I can't believe it was as easy as summoning a demon and asking him directly to find out the killer's name. The tricky part would certainly be gathering the proof that Trent has demanded now for Rachel to have her payment. I do not like that her and Ivy's relationship is so strained now and hope they sort everything out soon. Nick willing to give up his book so that Rachel can have her answers warmed me up to him a little bit (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I feel like Rachel makes the poorest decision when cornered and surely volunteering to become the demon's familiar would come back to bite her in the ass. I feel bad for Ivy through all of this, her uncle was such a deranged one, I cannot believe he had her under control right since the start and am wondering what it means for Ivy and Rachel's friendship going forward. I also never thought that I'd end up liking Trent too sometime so the last chapter was a pleasant surprise. I am eager to pick up the next one in the series (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1-7: (view spoiler)[The way Rachel outsmarted the demon was pretty impressive ngl and she even managed to save his familiar which was noble of her. I like how Rachel is trying to make Ceri comfortable in her new life and she hasn't managed to annoy me at all so far which imo is a far greater achievement lol. I hate Nick atm for breaking up with Rachel in the worst possible way but am glad that she is now free to pursue things with Ivy. Kisten is entertaining, I don't think Rachel would ever go out with him though (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8-15: (view spoiler)[This whole segment with Kisten and Rachel's date was a bit concerning , the way Rachel got mad, it seemed more like a child being annoyed that their ice cream was taken away rather than genuine anger at Kisten for lying to her and use her to achieve his own selfish motives. I do feel though that he is not a bad guy, just too cocky for his own goo. I feel so bad for Ivy that she isn't able to get rid of Piscary's influence and I hope they find some way to get him out of her head (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16-21: (view spoiler)[Yikes that demon is not letting Rachel take a breath at all, I am liking the role Ceri is playing through this ordeal teaching Rachel how to protect herself from Al. Rachel hooking with Kisten though is as bad as it could get, I do not enjoy the romance between them honestly and it pisses me off that Rachel is always so eager to make decisions that could come back and bite her in the ass. I hope Ivy is able to talk some sense into Jenks (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 22-26: (view spoiler)[I guess Rachel's charm was only for that first leg of the book because I am back to being annoyed by everything she does. I do not have any idea what she even wants in life anymore. I sometimes see a hint of romance between her and Trent and amongst so many potential, my head spins thinking about who she might end up with. Ivy was pretty hurt that Rachel chose to be with Kisten and with Nick's I love you's still in the picture, it is getting a bit weird (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[There was a lot of action in this segment and I very much enjoyed the fight with the demon but I am not sure what to make of Rachel's personal choices honestly. She rarely acts like the grown adult she is and then complains about things going wrong. I am curious to see what comes next in her life but sure hope that her character is written better than this in the future books (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1-7: (view spoiler)[I find it to be a bit bothersome that Rachel is being such a hypocrite. I agree that Nick should have been more forthcoming with her, she deserved to get a proper goodbye from him but by the way she is acting it doesn't seem like she is aware of her own actions, It isn't like she is crying after Nick since he has been gone, she took no time to respond to Kisten's advances and it is a difficult pill to swallow that she'd be so bothered that Nick didn't tell her he was back. I am excited to see her working with Jenks once again though. These demon curses they've put on themselves could do them potential harm I am afraid (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8-13: (view spoiler)[Poor Nick, he thought that Rachel was dead but she was busy with her new boyfriend. I am just really annoyed that she can't seem to make up her mind as to who it is that she wants. I am glad that Jax was okay, Jenks is my favourite character in the series and if something had happened to his son, he would have been heartbroken. IMO it was foolish of Rachel to challenge the alpha of the other pack, I am now curious to see how she plans to defeat him (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14-21: (view spoiler)[This focus thing that all the weres are after sounds such a lucrative item, no wonder everyone is ready to kill one another over it. Doesn't sound like it would be easy for Rachel to get herself out of trouble this time around especially because Nick has been ao untruthful, one might never know what more is he hiding. I am wondering why the demon would simply have demanded a kiss from him in exchange of such crucial information. I liked that Rachel put her foot down this time around and refused to give him another chance, respecting her relationship with Kisten (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 22-28: (view spoiler)[I hope that their plan works and they get the weres off their backs but I also can't help but feel displeased because this seems to be a constant with Rachel. She acts rashly and impulsively, ends up landing herself and everyone around her in trouble and then mopes around. I did not like that Jenks was so rude to Ivy, granted she shouldn't have bitten Rachel but he overlooked the fact that it was Rachel who wanted Ivy to have her blood. It is a pet peeve when someone takes sides despite the fault lying clearly with both parties (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[That was a damn good ending ngl, I was so relieved that their plan worked and Rachel even managed to snag the real focus statue right under from Nick's watch. He deserved it though for all the times he lied to Rachel. It technically belonged to Rachel too since it was through selling information about her that Nick was even able to get the location for the said statue. I am hoping now that Jenks comes back to the firm full time and Rachel and Ivy sort whatever awkwardness has made its home between them since Ivy bit Rachel (hide spoiler)]

Finally getting back to this series.

Going to pick up book 3 in the next 2 weeks. Just want to finish off some non-series buddy reads I have first.

I'm behind but will get back to this soon.

I will be picking up book 3 on Thursday or Friday.

Started book 3.



Chapters 1-8
(view spoiler)[
I'm so curious how Rachel being a demon's familiar is going to play out. I'm not surprised Nick has left and I didn't like him anyway so that's fine by me. I have a feeling this security job isn't going to be as simple as Rachel thinks it will be.
(hide spoiler)]

Finished book 3 tonight.



Chapters 9-16
(view spoiler)[
I don't like Rachel and Kisten together probably because I don't trust any of the vampires. I wonder what the deal is with this Skimmer person is?
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 17-24
(view spoiler)[
At least Rachel isn't Al's familiar anymore but I don't feel like he's just going to let her go that easily. I wonder how this meeting with Trent will go. I hope Rachel can make up with Jenks soon.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 25-33
(view spoiler)[
That explosion on the boat was crazy, they're lucky Rachel was able to make that circle to save them. And Rachel giving Lee to Al to spare herself was something I didn't see coming. I'm interested to see how this partnership works out with David. Still don't like Rachel and Kisten together.
(hide spoiler)]

Started book 4 tonight.



Chapters 1-9
(view spoiler)[
The whole Were thing was a surprise but it's good that Rachel beat Karen. I'm glad Jenks agreed to let Rachel help get Jax. I did not expect them to make Jenks big though, that was a surprise. Jax making friend with a kitten is hilarious. I love it.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 10-18
(view spoiler)[
Wow, that whole section on the island was crazy. The fact Rachel was able to Were like that and how she connected with the wolves on the island. Plus she beat Pam and her and Jenks managed to grab Nick and get out of there. I like that Ivy showed up, it wasn't the same without her there.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 19-27
(view spoiler)[
You know I don't think it was smart for Rachel to let Ivy bite her. I get that she wants to help Ivy and that she does trust her but the whole blood balance thing is just weird to me. And that fight with the Weres was crazy. I wonder how the exchange will go?
(hide spoiler)]

Finished book 4.



Chapters 28-35
(view spoiler)[
Nick with the double cross but he fell right into Rachel's trap. I feel bad for Jenks that Jax left with him. I'm glad the trio is back together for real now and no one is leaving the business.
(hide spoiler)]