Tag Archives: JD Robb

Sep

Top Ten Tuesday – September 25, 2012: Top Ten Series I Haven’t Finished

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the wonderful blog at The Broke and the Bookish!

This Week’s Topic is: Top Ten Series I Haven’t Finished (because either you didn’t like them, you just have procrastinated, etc.)

Yes! Okay, this is a great topic. Let’s talk about this – And once again, I’m cheating. Separated by reasons I haven’t finished:

I haven’t finished this series because… I love it and I’m stretching it out:

1. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich: I actually only started this series recently – during the great Groundhog’s Day blizzard in Chicago in 2011 – and I own the whole series (except for the one that JUST came out (because I own them all in paperback and I have to wait to buy that one so they’ll all be the same)) but I’m afraid once I catch up, it’ll leave a whole in my heart and then I’ll have to wait for more Stephanie, or God forbid the day when the series ends for good! Nope. I’m spacing them out. I think #14 is up next.

2. The In Death series by J.D. Robb: Okay, so there are TONS of books in this series. I have no idea how many by now, but I know it’s over 20, maybe even over 30? I’ve liked each and every one (some more than others), but I’m spacing them out in between my other reads because I’m in no hurry to catch up! The books are in the future so it’ll never be outdated 🙂

3. The Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampires series by Charlaine Harris: Just taking my time! I’m actually kind of reading them as the TV series comes out, unintentionally. It doesn’t really matter either way because it’s not like they’re even related anymore!

I haven’t finished this series because… I’m waiting for the rest to be published… ANXIOUSLY:

1. The Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver: Holy cow. After Pandemonium, I do NOT want to wait for Requiem to come out! But… Of course, I have to! I was in awe from Delirium and the ending of Pandemonium really just leads us right into the last book of the series.

2. The Chemical Garden trilogy by Lauren DeStefano: I’m not AS anxiously waiting for Sever, but I am still very excited for it! I really loved Wither and although Fever was a little less than what I’d hoped, I’m really looking forward to the last book to come out!

3. The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth: Okay, so I haven’t read Insurgent yet… But I can still anticipate the third book, right?

I haven’t finished this series because… I’m behind the times and I just started it!

1. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead: I just finished book 3 (Shadow Kiss) and I am QUITE loving this series! I’m trying to catch up on it because I’m so wrapped up in it!!

2. The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness: Just finished the FIRST book in this series and it was so interesting!! I’ve heard that the second book is the best out of the three so I’m really excited to pick it up.

3. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare: I’ve only read book 1 so far and was mildly disappointed with it. I think I expected a lot more, but now that the world is established, I’m really hoping the story line will pick up in the following books.

4. The Maze Runner series by James Dashner: I’m actually reading the third book right now and I’ll get around to the prequel sometime eventually!

I haven’t finished this series because… I lost interest…

1. The Hannah Swensen mysteries by Joanne Fluke: I think I stopped on book 7 or 8 when the love triangle from book 1 STILL hadn’t resolved even a little bit. No progress at all. And I heard that it still doesn’t go anywhere in the rest of the books that are published. Sadly, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

2. The Jane Kelly mysteries by Nancy Bush: I accidentally read these out of order and read the second one first and the first one second (confused yet?). I actually really ended up liking the second book and so I grabbed the first to catch up and was just totally bored! I decided not to continue on.

3. The Wollie Shelley mystery series by Harley Jane Kozak: The first book was super cute and fun, but the second was just totally unrelated and not as interesting. I gave up on it fairly quickly since I had a growing pile of TBRs!

I haven’t finished this series because… I just didn’t care for the first book…

1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Due to popular demand, I MAY try this one again, but I was in no good place to read it the first time around. We’ll see if maybe my opinion will change the second time around.

2. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden: I don’t know why but this book just never really got going for me. I felt kind of lost throughout the whole thing and the exciting parts just weren’t that exciting. I was a little disappointed!

Okay, that’s WAY more than 10. So…. oops?

Aug

Conspiracy In Death (In Death #8) – JD Robb

Title: Conspiracy In Death (In Death #8) by J.D. Robb
Publishing Info: April 1, 1999 by Penguin
Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: August 13, 2012
Related Posts: Vengeance in Death (In Death #6), Holiday in Death (In Death #7), Midnight In Death (In Death #7.5), Loyalty In Death (In Death #9)

At a time when human nature remains as predictable as death, a killer plays God--and puts innocent lives in the palm of his hand...
With the precision of a surgeon, a serial killer preys on the most vulnerable souls of the world's city streets. The first victim: a sidewalk sleeper, found dead in New York City. No bruises, no signs of struggle. Just a laser-perfect, fist-sized hole where his heart had once been. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is assigned to investigate. But in the heat of a cat-and-mouse game with the killer, Dallas's job is suddenly on the line. Now her hands are tied ... between a struggle for justice--and a fight for her career...

Breaking It Down Further: When various victims begin turning up around New York City with missing organs removed with surgical precision and care, Lt Eve Dallas hops back on the case to catch a new killer that could only be someone who has spent a great deal of time as a practicing surgeon. When unruly Officer Ellen Bowers begins to give Eve a hard time and filing preposterous reports against the lieutenant, Eve not only has to catch a killer, but keep her record clean and her temper under control.

As always, I love the In Death series! I actually felt like this one wasn’t quite as good as the previous books. I always enjoy them, but I didn’t think this one had quite as many twists and turns and I actually wasn’t hooked into the plot as much as I usually am.

I did like how not only did we have our serial killer case, but also an internal police issue that Eve has to deal with. We see Eve grow as a person little by little as she has to control her temper with the wildly inappropriate Officer Bowers and maintain her cool when the complaint reports start filing in. Eve can’t take her usual tough approach and barrel through this sensitive issue, so it was interesting to see her emotions in check and how that whole situation played out.

I wasn’t too interested in the rogue surgeon plot for some reason. Just didn’t really catch me, and for some reason it felt like too many characters I didn’t know and wasn’t really interested in. Regardless, it was an interesting finish and I still really enjoyed the whole novel!

It didn’t come up too much in the book but I’m not a fan of Peabody and Charles being together. Maybe that’s why there wasn’t much detail in this book, but I’m kind of hoping that ends soon. Just seems a little bizarre to me!

Read it!

Not as good as the previous ones, but anyone who’s a fan of the series will still really enjoy it!

Jun

30 Days of Books: Day 21

30 Days of Books: Day #21

Favorite romantic/sexual relationship…

Shoooot, that’s definitely Eve Dallas & Roarke from the In Death series by JD Robb. JD Rob – for those of you who don’t know – is a pen name for Nora Roberts, so it’s easy to see how mystery quickly turns into romance and back into mystery again.

It’s not even the sexual side of it (although they do have some pretty steamy scenes!) but essentially their chemistry and banter that makes them my favorite relationship.

Both Eve and Roarke grew up with horrific pasts, stemmed off of parents who were abusive and neglectant. Roarke took the crooked path and lived outside of the law in Ireland before making his millions and become an upstanding citizen of NYC (although with his skills and money, he’s able to still take some no-so-legal shortcuts). Eve reacted to her past quite the opposite – since the law didn’t help her as a child, she vowed to become the law to prevent it from happening to others and she worked her way up to Lieutenant as one of the best cops in the city.

Their differences have them at each other’s throats at times, but it makes for a great pair because they both help each other see things from a different perspective. Eve’s mostly all business, but Roarke tends to bring out her softer side which usually only he sees. I love their little banter back and forth since Roarke usually tries to take things likely and joke, sometimes poking fun at Eve and I think it’s adorable. He tends to pull her out of a bad mood with jokes and charm and even she doesn’t realize what he’s doing or how he does it.

Parts of it I don’t even know how to explain, but as different as they are, they somehow just fit together perfectly. I think Nora/”JD” writes an excellent pair here and I really enjoy following their relationship. Oh, and I did I mention the steamy love scenes? Because yeah… There are a lot!

Plus, there are TONS of books in the series (I just finished Midnight in Death, which is #7.5 and you can check out that little review here) so I’ve got plenty more to look forward to!

Jun

Midnight In Death (In Death #7.5) – JD Robb

Title: Midnight In Death (In Death #7.5) by J.D. Robb
Publishing Info: September 27, 2005 by Penguin
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Mystery/Thriller
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: June 20, 2012
Related Posts: Vengeance in Death (In Death #6), Holiday in Death (In Death #7), Conspiracy In Death (In Death #8), Loyalty In Death (In Death #9)

The number-one New York Times bestselling In Death series explodes with intrigue, passion, and suspense. Now, Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, propels you into the darkest night of Lieutenant Eve Dallas's life—when a killer comes to call...
Eve's name has made a Christmas list, but it's not for being naughty or nice. It's for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. With her husband, Roarke, at her side, Eve must stop the man from exacting his bloody vengeance—or die trying...

Breaking It Down Further: Right after the grisly Christmas-related murders (See HOLIDAY IN DEATH, book #7), Eve Dallas is brought right back onto the scene when a notorious NYC judge appears dead in the heart of the city. Attached to his mangled body is a note from David Palmer, a nemesis Dallas and a team put away for life three years ago. Having escaped from prison, Dallas must round up Palmer and put a stop to his final plan – to pick off and eliminate everyone involved in his sentence, with Eve being the prize at the end of his series of killings.

This was a super quick read since it’s a novella in between the full books. It obviously left me wanting more because I can never have enough of this series!

It was a very interesting twist that this time Dallas and her team knew who the killer was, knew him personally having studied him to get him behind bars the first time around, and now they just need to find a way to catch him. Eve soon realizes it’s not that easy, and Palmer starts picking off her friends and former allies one by one until he gets to her as the grand finale.

It surely was a thrilling little story! We jumped right into the action and clearly not having to figure out who the suspect was seemed to be a way to really cut down on time. Regardless of length, it was still very interesting to read and I always love learning more about the characters and observing more of their interactions. Anyone who hasn’t read the series can still probably read this since they really try not to put too much back story in there (I’m guessing since some readers tend to skip these “in-betweeners”).

4/5 stars
Quite interesting, but of course I felt like it was a bit lacking since it was so short!

Jun

30 Days of Books: Day 18

Happy Monday! Or… unhappy Monday. I know I didn’t want to come back to work this morning! Mostly because of sleep. But alas, I break up the work day with another episode of 30 Days of Books.

30 Days of Books: Day #18

Best beginning of a book…

Hmm, this is actually a really hard one. I think I’d have to go with either Ceremony In Death or Vengeance In Death by JD Robb. Her books always catch me right in the first chapter and I’m immediately hooked! These two were ones that I started and needed to race through because I’m just dying to finish.

May

Holiday In Death (In Death #7) – JD Robb

Title: Holiday in Death (In Death #7) by J.D. Robb
Publishing Info: June 1st 1998 by Penguin
Source: Bundles of Bookes
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Mystery/Thriller
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: May 9, 2012
Related Posts: Vengeance in Death (In Death #6), Midnight In Death (In Death #7.5), Conspiracy In Death (In Death #8), Loyalty In Death (In Death #9)

No one likes to be alone during the holidays. For New York's most posh dating service, Personally Yours, it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. But Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on the trail of a ritualistic serial killer, has made a disturbing discovery: all of the victims have been traced to Personally Yours. As the murders continue, Eve enters into an elite world of people searching for their one true love--and a killer searching for his next victim. A world where the power of love leads men and women into the ultimate act of betrayal...

Breaking It Down Further: The holiday season is a madhouse in New York and Lt. Eve Dallas is overwhelmed with her novice status as buying Christmas presents — To make matters (much) worse, a series of Christmas killings by none other than Jolly Saint Nick start to pop up all over the city, all connected back to the dating service Personally Yours. As Eve tracks the killer, he starts to hit closer to home and the whole gang gets shaken up trying to catch a murderer before Christmas hits.

Maybe not as good as the last one, but every book is really great! Once again, I was totally surprised at the end when the killer/motives were revealed. The thing that I love most is how well you get to know these characters. JD Robb (I know it’s Nora Roberts, but I only read the Robb books) does a fantastic job developing characters. I feel really invested and really connected with their stories. One of my favorite characters is turning out to be Delia Peabody – She’s getting a stronger voice as we go along and was definitely a big player in this book. I also hope to be seeing more of McNab! He’s a pain in Peabody’s ass, but I think he and Peabody will hook up later on…

Just short of 5 stars, only because there were a few books in the series so far that I have been absolutely amazed by. This one is still really great, but not the absolute favorite so far.

If You Liked This, You Might Like…
Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich – Well, since this was a Christmas-time book, I’ll make another Christmas suggestion… In May… This is smack in the middle of the Stephanie Plum series, but the main story doesn’t have anything to do with the series itself. There are several references to Stephanie’s story (although no romance between her and the boys) – mostly to her family. It’s a super quick read and mostly just silly.
…OR…
Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke – Sure, why not! Let’s make more holiday suggestions. This was an interesting mystery in the fact that the whole town was in the same building and the killer probably is too! No where to run.

Apr

Vengeance In Death (In Death #6) – JD Robb

Title: Vengeance in Death (In Death #6) by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts
Publishing Info: October 1, 1997 by Penguin
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Mystery/Thriller
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: April 15, 2012
Related Posts: Holiday in Death (In Death #7), Midnight In Death (In Death #7.5), Conspiracy In Death (In Death #8), Loyalty In Death (In Death #9)

He is an expert with the latest technology...a madman with the mind of a genius and the heart of a killer. He quietly stalks his prey. Then he haunts the police with cryptic riddles about the crimes he is about to commit--always solved moments too late to save his victims' lives. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the first victim butchered in his own home. The second lost his life in a vacant luxury apartment. The two men had little in common. Both suffered unspeakable torture before their deaths. And both had ties to an ugly secret of ten years past--a secret shared by none other than Eve's new husband, Roarke.

Wow. I just have to say wow. I was blown away by the last book, but this one was just as intense, thrilling, gripping, grotesque, and enchanting. Since the summary pretty much explains the whole plot, I’ll just give a straight review.

I’m not sure if I should praise minds as clever as these for coming up with such gruesome plot lines and ways to kill people, but it’s so interesting and just so hard to pull away from. This time it’s a combination of a terrorizing murderer out for revenge, made even more dangerous with a religious drive and a knack for technology.

The development of the relationship between Eve and Roarke is growing so nicely. I love how they were two broken people and they are now coming to trust each other and depend on each other. They’re really starting to become a unit. I really think Peabody is the most understated character in this series. She’s smart, clever, and brings a nice comic relief for Dallas. I also loved learning more about the relationship between Roarke and Summerset and their Irish past. I’ve been looking forward to learning more about it and this book really digs into it.

5/5 stars
Anyone who is a fan of these books will probably love this one. Just read it. I can’t really say more! It was just so interesting and the mysteries are rarely obvious. I’m always kept guessing until the end.