The Original TBR Challenge Update

So, it's almost the end of November of 2010 and I have just a few short weeks to try to finish up all my reading challenges. Over the last year I did really well meeting my goals. One of those goals was to do the TBR Challenge which had a list of 12 books preselected prior to January1, 2010. We could also chose books from an alternate list of 12 preselected books to add to the variety. I have read a total of 14 of those books. Not sure how many more I will get done by the end of the year.

Here is a look at my lists....

List 1


1-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)


2-The Hollow by Nora Roberts (4 Stars)

3-Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)

4-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs

5-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner (4 Stars)


6-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (4 Stars)


7-Unleash The Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 stars)

8-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn

9-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (5 Stars)

10-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren

11-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux (2.5 Stars)

12-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan (4.5 Stars)

Alternate List

1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson

2-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimber Raye

3-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 stars)

4-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan (2 Stars)

5-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)

6-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 stars)

7-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson

8-Irresistable by Susan Mallery (4.5 Stars)

9-Evermore by Lynn Viehl

10-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux

11-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill

12-With This Ring by Amanda Quick

I got pretty lazy with posting reviews so not all the books have reviews for them unfortunately.

Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux

Book Description....


It was her father's dying wish that Samantha Elliot search for her grandmother, who'd disappeared from Louisville when she was a baby. So here she was, in big, dirty New York City...her parents were dead, her divorce was final, and she was all alone....



Michael Taggert was Samantha's landlord, and he was easily the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. He was charming, too -- his zest for life was so contagious that in his presence Sam bloomed like a flower after the rain. Yet Mike could only get so far with her -- when he tried to get closer, it was like running into a brick wall.



But Mike wouldn't give up. As they probed her grandmother's past, he was slowly uncovering the joy and affection Samantha had buried long ago -- and leading them closer to the dangerous truth about a bloody spring night in 1928, and a seductive blues singer named Maxie....

My Thoughts......
 
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. I didn't like Samantha. Deveraux tried to make her such a complex character that when it all came down to it the reasoning behind her attitude towards Michael it was a bit of a let down. I wont get into the specifics but Samantha is not a strong female lead. Over the years my tastes in romance have matured to a point that I need a kick ass woman, one that takes the crap that life can throw at her and kick it in the balls. Samantha is not this woman. After losing her mother and her grandfather she took care of her father while still a young girl. When she became an adult she married and then took care of her husband. When her marriage failed she went back to her father only to find he was dying. Once he was gone, to fullfill his will she had to move to New York and live in the apartment her father set up for one year while looking for her long lost grandmother. Michael Taggert was the owner of her new apartment.
 
When faced with these obsticles in life Samantha rolled over and sank into a depression. She also was afraid to walk around the block in her new city. Not exactly sheltered growing up I am still not sure what in her character would terrify her of stepping outside her door. She grew up in Santa Fe. Not a tiny farming town in the middle of the country.
 
Now for Michael....Never really got a good grip on him. It starts out with Sam meeting Michael while he had been playing football with some buddies and that he was toned and obviously worked out. Later in the book Sam was thinking about how much she loved his body builder's body. To me, a man who works out and in shape is completely different than one who is a body builder. But whatever. The big issue I had with Mike was that he liked Samantha. I couldn't see the connection. I didn't understand him wanted to pursue her. She would let him kiss her then run for the hills. She would spend days ignoring him. She was either hot or cold....mostly cold. I don't even know if it was the puzzle of her psyche that intrigued him.
 
There are two things in this book that I found very redeeming.
 
1-The Taggert/Montgomery Clan--They came for a visit to "meet" Samantha because finally Michael was interested in someone. I loved the picnic scene. I liked his whole family. His twin brother Kane was so very interesting by the way. I think I liked him more than I liked Michael.
 
2-The Mystery of Maxie--Although I was initially confused as to the timeline of her disappearance overall the mystery was intriguing. She disappeared when Sam was a baby but in New York Sam and Mike were investigating what happened when she disappeared in 1928 which would make the entire timeline wonky. It would make Sam 70 odd years old. It really took me forever to figure out that Maxie had indeed disappeared in 1928 when she then met and married Cal, Samantha's Grandfather. Almost 40 years later she disappeared again. So, Sam is trying to find out why she ran away in the late 60s but also trying to find out what happened in 1928. Crystal Clear. Once I figured that out I was really interested in reading about Maxie and her life as a gangster's girl. Super interesting.
 
Unfortunately these points were not enough to redeem the book for me. If I can't like the characters it is hard for me to enjoy the book. I will have to read Kane's book though....he sounds yummy. My Rating 2.5 Stars.

Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan

I cut my paranormal teeth on Christine Feehan's Dark Prince. It forever holds a spot in my heart because of this. I love that book. Over the years I have read every book that came after it with excitement and glee. After a point though I noticed I wasn't enjoying them nearly as much as I did at the beginning. I am honestly not sure if this is because I am growing and maturing as a reader or that the books just aren't or possibly both.

Carpathian Males by nature, are completely Alpha. Expecting their women to cower behind them and stay put because they decree it. In my ripe old age of Thirtysomething I now expect my heroines to be assertive and fully capable of kicking some vampire butt along side their men.

These books are still in the dark ages and all the men still beat their chests and grunt at their women to obey them (with the exception of two women who were not brought up Carpathian the women do listen too...for the most part.) But what I want to know is what is the point of being able to dissolve into mist, shift into an eagle or a wolf, or call down lightening if the XY's in your life won't allow it when it comes to fighting for your people's future.

Anyway, I should probably talk about this book now....

Dark Celebration is the 14th or the 17th book in the series, depending on if you count the 3 novellas published in separate anthologies. It is a full on Carpathian Reunion which sounds super cool unless you are like me and read the last book in 2006 and can't remember all but a handful of the characters. While reading the book I often had to stop and reflect (actually stop and try to remember)who certain characters were.

I read the hardcover edition of the book and there were approximately 300 pages of actual storyline. There were quite a few recipes after the end of the book submitted by Feehan Fans around the world. The recipes were a tie in to the Christmas celebration the Carpathians were having. I didn't really pay much attention to them to tell the truth.

In the book there were so many couples that I had a hard time keeping them straight. Also every couple had sex at least once. I also think that once a couple of them had sex we never heard about them again. It all felt a little gratuitous. Because every couple was engaging in some hot lovin' Feehan made each couple repeat that the other was their lifemate and without their other half they would be lost. After having read all of the books prior to this, I started getting annoyed with the repetitiveness of it all. Granted had I not read any of the books before this one some of it might have been good to know but even then a newbie to the series would have been irritated too.

Problem number one I had with this book....
Way too many characters. Seriously. There were at least 13 couples in addition to 2 couples not yet joined, one family friend, parents of two of the girls, one teenage Carpathian, and at least 10 children. So, I lost count at 44 people in this book.

Problem number two I had with this book....
No resolution to the big bad evil that was stalking our Carpathian women. They were all in very real danger but other than a couple battles that didn't actually take out the big baddie there was no real ending. Also a storyline was started and I have to assume it will continue in the next book Dark Possession and yet another storyline started with a 16 year old and her lifemate that I have to assume will be completed in the future as she is too young at this point to have a credible storyline.

So I honestly have only two really big complaints about this book. But they are doozies. In general Feehan's Carpathian books are all stand alone books because each one is about a different couple. This book, however cannot be enjoyed as a stand alone. Someone not familiar with the series could not fully appreciate it and would be very confused. Heck, I have read all the books and found myself confused.

So, my recommendation is....

Read it if you are already a fan of the series. Get the book from your local library. Unless of course you are like me and collect all her books. When purchasing it you might want to scour your Used Book stores and Thrift Stores looking for it. I honestly don't think it is worth full price.

My rating: 2/5

Update on My TBR Challenge

This is a year long challenge and before the start of the year we were to choose 12 different books to read for the year. In addition we were able to choose 12 alternatives to give us a little variety for the challenge. It is officially 1/2 way through the year and I thought I would post an update as to where I was for this particular challenge more for my benefit than yours.


The books crossed off are ones that I have read. 10 down. I do plan on reading all 24 books though so I better step it up.


1-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)
2-The Hollows by Nora Roberts
3-Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)
4-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs
5-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner (4 Stars)
6-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (4 Stars)
7-Unleash The Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 stars)
8-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
9-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
10-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren
11-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux
12-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan


Alternate List


1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson
2-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimber Raye
3-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 stars)
4-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan
5-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)
6-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 stars)
7-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson
8-Irresistable by Susan Mallery (4.5 Stars)
9-Evermore by Lynn Viehl
10-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux
11-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill
12-With This Ring by Amanda Quick

The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

Synopsis courtesy of Shelfari.com....

Claire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls' Dance, hell is really going to break loose.


This is the 2nd book in the YA Morganville Vampire series.
 
My thoughts.....
 
This book starts right up where the first book ended. It ended in such a cliff hanger I have no idea how I managed to go a full year without picking up the second.
 
What I didn't like....Now normally I would start out by posting the positive but today I am going to do just the opposite and start out with what I didn't like. I thought the beginning started pretty slow. It does start off where the cliff hanger ending of book 1 ended but it almost felt as if after the big bang the story came off of an adrenaline rush and crashed a bit. It wasn't until about half way through that things picked up. They picked up in almost a breakneck speed actually which can be good but also bad. Bad is if so many things are happening so fast the reader might get lost a bit in the shuffle. This actually happened to me once or twice and I had to go back and read a page or two because I kept missing things like "Claire jumped out of the car" and wondered how she ended up in the house when she was just driving. These things are technically minor and probably my own fault. Not only was the storyline taking off at breakneck speed I found I was reading at breakneck speed to keep up with the action.
Also one of the players in the 1st book indirectly affected one of the plots in this book (I don't want to go into great detail as to not spoil this book for those who haven't read it) and for the life of me I couldn't recall this player at all from the first book. Caine actually does do a good job in reminding the reader of specifics without completely spoiling the book for people who read series books out of order but to me the dude was really minor and it was hard for me to accept that he could change the lives of Claire and her roommates so drastically.
The title is misleading. Yes there is an event called The Dead Girls' Dance. Yes it took place within the book. But it wasn't a major event. It took up all of one chapter if that. Claire and Eve head to a frat party to see if they could get some info from a vampire they knew would be there and a new plot emerges which really doesn't tie in to the main one at all. I kind of felt as if I were reading two different books about the same cast of characters.
These books are definitely written to be a series. You really can't pick a random one up and enjoy it for it's own storyline. I think reading them in order is a must too. As I mentioned Caine does a great job of filling the reader in without spoiling the complete first book but there are some things that would be spoiled anyway so you really need to read these in order.
 
What I liked.....
Despite that it originally felt like none of the characters grew or matured, after finishing and reflecting I decided that they really did. Claire is still young but you see that she emerges more spunky and doesn't completely feel like a little girl playing dress up. Eve has always seemed pretty deep and we get a little more background on her life before moving into Glass House with the group. She sometimes seems young and easily upset and other times she takes control of the situation to help Claire through things. Shane's character also reveals more depth and additional background that helps Claire and the reader understand him more. Michael's character perhaps makes some of the most drastic changes. I am not sure if his changes are for the best or not but that is part of any series character's charms.
The last half of the book really pushed the book up from average to good. The action (although at times I had a hard time keeping up) was seriously there to keep my on the edge of my seat. The conflict between good and evil was there and the lines were completely blurred as to who was on what team which was very intriguing. Baddies from the first book might actually prove to be not so bad in the second which is an interesting concept.
I thought the ending was OK. It certainly wasn't much of a cliff hanger (thank goodness because I totally hated that!) but we as readers were definitely wondering what Claire would do next.
 
So, overall 4 stars. Not as good as The Glass House but definitely a good read.

Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard

I tried to find a synopsis from both Shelfari.com and Amazon.com but all they said was..Wolf Mackenzie is a loner who has a way with horses and a deep distrust of outsiders - until one woman dares to venture onto Mackenzie's Mountain. Schoolteacher Mary Elizabeth Potter is determined to keep Wolf's teenage son from abandoning his dreams . . . and finds herself rescuing Wolf along the way. 

Now, I don't know about you but that isn't a synopsis to me. That is more of a generic sentence used probably more times then not to describe hundreds of romance novels.

So, let me tell you a little more about the book.

Mackenzie's Mountain was written in 1989 by the great Linda Howard. It has been a tried and true romance recommended by one romance lover to another for years. It is the first book in the Mackenzie saga.

Wolf Mackenzie is a quite man who has isolated himself just on the outskirts of a small one horse town on what he considers "his" mountain. The town distrusts him and treats him like a common criminal and in return he rarely ventures to town and doesn't really care to mingle anyway. His 16 year old son Joe has learned to be indifferent towards the town just as his dad does because the town treats him the same way they treat his dad. When Joe decides that he can't even get a decent education because of the poor opinion the town has on the Mackenzies he opts for dropping out of school to help his dad train horses. The new school teacher has other plans and makes it her mission to get Joe back into school and educate him into a better life. And if she has to spend more time around Wolf Mackenzie that wouldn't be such a bad thing either.

My Thoughts.....

After having this book in my TBR pile for years and years I signed up for a reading challenge where I challenged myself to read 24 books (which I pre-selected before the start of the year) from this pile. This was one of the books I put on that list. It's about time I read it too. As I mentioned it has been almost a "staple" of romance readers top favorites for years now and it has been recommended to me time and time again.

What I liked....

I went at it was extremely high expectations and overall I was not disappointed at all. Wolf is an interesting character. Proud, strong, intelligent. It first appears that he is antisocial and is maybe not the hero that you expect from a romance novel. And to tell the truth he isn't. What he is, is a man who has isolated himself based on the reactions from other people for self preservation.

I think what complicates the story is Joe, Wolf's son. At first I had a hard time with the concept of Wolf letting his son drop out of school to help with the horses. That seemed so....wrong. A 16 year old should never drop out of school. I know it happens. My rose colored glasses broke years ago. But I am used to reading books where it is very black and white. Good parents raise their kids to go to college. They raise smart, funny and beautiful children. Bad parents run out on their kids. They let them drop out of school and do who knows what because bad parents don't care. This book does not fall into the black or white. Once I accepted that I was able to really embrace this book.

Mary is a strong female character who is intelligent yet knows her limitations. She sets her sights on getting Joe his education and like a bulldog she stubbornly refuses to give in. She also sets her sights on Wolf. She finds him attractive, intriguing and mistreated by town. She ends up being the Mackenzies' champion when it comes to staring down the town and putting the town folks in their place.

In addition to an interesting set of characters there is a little bit of a mystery and danger involved which always makes a story even better for me.

What I didn't like....

I didn't understand the big Tah-doo about Wolf being an Indian (Howard continued to refer to Wolf as either an Indian or a Breed...usually when either Wolf referred to himself or one of the town's people referred to him or Joe). Anyway, this book was written in the late 80's (on the cusp of the 90's) and was set as a contemporary romance. With this in mind, why on earth would an entire town and Wolf himself feel the need to continually point out his being Native American? And in such a negative way too (trust me on this....they do). It really confused me. In addition, Mary (although I really liked her character) was something straight out of the 1800's. She felt better in long dresses and sensible shoes. She is in her late 20's but yet still a virgin and I believe she thought herself a spinster.

Between Wolf being a "dirty Indian" and Mary being a spinster if it hadn't been for the fact that Mary drove a car up Mackenzie's Mountain in the opening I would have sworn I was reading an historical romance. Don't get me wrong, I love historicals, but this wasn't one and I think that any book should follow certain rules. This book was written about a 1990 relationship between a white woman and a Native American and I expect the attitude of the characters to reflect what is socially acceptable at that time. If a book were written about a white person dating an African American in 1950's America I would expect a small town of folks to be outraged and hateful (I am not condoning this, just acknowledging that this was the way things were at the time).

So, despite the weird little timeline issue I am overall pleased with the way the book progressed. I am glad I read it. Not sure if I would read it again. I think I might actually if she decided to release another Mackenzie book (there are 4 and I have only read 2 by the way). I think that I would read them all in anticipation (or a quick reminder of who and what each book was about) if she ever did release another one.

My rating 4.5 Stars.

Causing Havoc by Lori Foster

From the back of the book:

Sexy, sculpted extreme fighter Dean "Havoc" Conor has knee-melting good looks--and thick skin. But not from his brutal sport's enclosed rings. Orphaned and torn from his sisters as a boy, he has no family. That is, until he gets a letter revealing how much the once-little girls want him back in Harmony, Kentucky.

To stop one of his sisters from marrying a man as sleazy as he is wealthy, Dean finds himself teaming up with her pretty-but-smart-mouthed friend Eve--who's heard of "Havoc's" reputation and doesn't need some hunk trampling on her heart. Now all Dean has to do is protect his sisters, win Eve over, and expose a devious criminal. And he thought winning the heavyweight cage fighting belt was hard...

 

My Thoughts.....

 

This is the second SBC book I have read and both were just wonderful. Normally I am not a sports kind of gal. I don't watch them. I don't talk about them and I usually tune out those who do. I found myself fascinated by this book despite that Dean is an SBC fighter. Maybe because it isn't necessarily about his fights or the sport but the developement of the relationships between Dean and his long lost sisters.

 

Strangely enough although both part of the same series, the first one I read (My Man Michael) and this book are so different. Heck, they don't even take place in the same time. For those who don't know, My Man Michael is technically a time travel book. They do have a common theme though. Super alpha men and strong independent women.

 

I have read a few of Lori Foster's books...many won high marks from me. She writes characters that you might not have anything in common with but somewhere along the line connect with emotionally. She also has a knack for creating mouth watering men. I want my own Dean!

 

So anyway, this book is the first in the series and although many people just "have" to read series books in order (typically I am one of them) you don't have to worry about that. I read this one second and didn't feel disjointed or lost at all.

 

I honestly don't know what else to say about this book other then pick one up, try it, you'll like it. I own this one and might keep it to read it again later. You should find a copy where ever you can, even if it means paying cover price.

 

My rating.....4.5 Stars.

Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Synopsis: A Desperate Young Mother Rachel Stone's bad luck has taken a turn for the worse. With an empty wallet, a car's that's spilling smoke, and a five-year-old son to support, she's come home to a town that hates her. But this determined young widow with a scandalous past has learned how to be a fighter. And she'll do anything to keep her child safe -- even take on. . .

A man With No Heart Gabe Bonner wants to be left alone, especially by the beautiful outcast who's invaded his property. She has a ton of attitude, a talent for trouble, and a child who brings back bad memories. Yet Rachel's feisty spirit might just be heaven-sent to save a tough, stubborn man.

Dare To Dream--Welcome to Salvation, North Carolina -- where a man who's forgotten what tenderness means meets a woman with nothing to lose. here two endearing lovers will set off on a funny, touching journey of the heart. . .to a place where dreams just might come true.

My thoughts....

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been a favorite among romance readers for years and I have found myself looking into the pool trying to decide if I should jump or just dip my toe in when it comes to her writing. After reading this book I have decided to put on my goggles, plug my nose and jump.

This book was fabulous.

I judge a great romance by how well I connect to the characters and if the story can play my emotions like a violin. This book does both.

Rachel is a character that you are able to laugh with, feel outrage for, and just plain old like. You can put yourself into her place and feel her desperation and pride, her love of her son and her need to stand with her head held high and her back straight.

Gabe is a little bit of a mystery at first. He appears angry and mean. Constantly snapping at Rachel and her young son. But he has a painful past that has made him the shell of a man that Rachel meets upon her arrival back in Salvation. It is this past which helps us readers understand who he was and who he has become.

These types of characters are what makes Phillips's books so wonderful. They are complex and interesting and guaranteed to keep the reader wanting to find out more.

Aside from the fantastic characters the storyline was also terrific. I don't want to get into too many details because I don't want to spoil anything for other readers but just know that if you have read Phillips's other books (Kiss an Angel in particular) and liked them, you will love this book.

Original TBR Challenge

MizB is also hosting this Challenge. Before the first of the year you need to come up with a list of 12 books that you will read from your TBR pile to read during 2010. You can come up with a list of 12 alternates if you want to give yourself a little choice during the year. You have to read from the list (or alternate list). By the end of the year you will have read 12 books off your TBR Mountain. I linked the title to MizB's original challenge.

This is what MizB had to say.....

For this challenge you should…
** Pick 12 books – one for each month of the year - that you’ve been wanting to read (that have been on your “To Be Read” list) for 6 months or longer, but haven’t gotten around to.
** OPTIONAL: Create a list of 12 “Alternates” (books you could substitute for your challenge books, given that a particular one doesn’t grab you at the time)
** Then, starting January 1, read one of these books from your list each month, ending December 31. )
(for more information, please read the challenge FAQs)
By the end of the year you should’ve knocked 12 books off of your TBR list! (of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have added *at LEAST* 12 more to the ever-growing pile by then! LOL).
The good news is, though, that you’ll be making some progress! ;o)
Additional rules/guidelines for this challenge:
* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months — you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.

* you should have a list posted somewhere for others to see

* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, of the current year!!!

* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).

* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed

* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren’t TRUE “TBRs”

* you CAN overlap with other challenges

* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you’re doing!

Now for my lists.....

List 1

1-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)

2-The Hollows by Nora Roberts

3-Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)

4-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs

5-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner

6-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (4 Stars)

7-Unleash The Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 stars)

8-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn

9-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

10-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren

11-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux

12-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan

Alternate List

1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson

2-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimber Raye

3-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 stars)

4-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan

5-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)

6-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 stars)

7-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson

8-Irresistable by Susan Mallery

9-Evermore by Lynn Viehl

10-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux

11-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill

12-With This Ring by Amanda Quick